Every now and then, a song sneaks up, grabs your
heart, and refuses let go. So it is with
“Overcome” by Tora, a dreamy, hypnotic track that's been on my iPod repeat for
three weeks solid.
Always drawn to moody, downtempo tracks laced with ethereal
voices (think Alina Baraz with Galimatais, and Shana Haligan of Bitter:Sweet),
this feature with Merryn Jeann's sublime vocals has fast become one of my fave
electronica/chillwave joints of all time.
Make no mistake, the track is ambitious and highly experimental;
if your thing is linear, straight-ahead music, this one isn’t for you.
“Overcome” is full of complex twists, lush synths and layered instrumentation (drum and
bass, break beats, lo-fi, chillwave) all of which up its intrigue factor. The
intro is a brief, throw-back burlesque type sample (completely disjointed from
what's to come), followed by varying tempos. A banjo sequence makes
an appearance mid-song, an instrument I loathe, but in this case - am able to
forgive.
For me, the true punch of the song begins around 0:54, where
the atmospheric texture begins to itself show off – pure trip-hop grooviness at
its best. Merryn Jeann's memorable vocals have been described as “an angel
pissing in your ears,” which I'm not completely sure of, although her sound
does feel like an ascent toward something magical and otherworldly.
The lyrics are a bonus when you finally listen, a
soft/strong anthem of the desire to overcome all that’s holding you back:
Oh and I'm scared
to be/someone lost and free
washing in and out
of space/every drift I lose my grace
But I need to know
that I can be
alone and grow
oooh oh yeah
oh yeah
Overcome, longing
to
Overcome
Losing touch
by holding on...
My only critique is inquiry: Where has this song been all
of my life?
