‘Garden Song’ sets off with such a sparkling and effervescent style with its folk timbre and pop sensibilities that its inspiration – the passing of the fantastically named Interstellar Tay‘s grandfather – is hard to detect. The song is a celebration of a lost loved one: joyous and positive with its sing along choruses and layers of backing singers yet imbued with an indelible sense of loss. The percussive pace creates a headlong and heady rush – I am reminded of ‘Rumours’-era Fleetwood Mac – with crisp, cutting production and a rollicky vocal break that is almost like a rowdy sea shanty with its ebullient delivery. Tay says of the origins of the song:
‘Garden Song‘ is about the night my grandfather died. I’m not a particularly spiritual person, but we were very close. At 11pm that night I had a dream about somebody stomping on piano keys which woke me up. In the morning I called my grandmother and she told me that he had passed away at 11pm that night. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. However, after his funeral we were all having a chat about the night he died. Both my uncle and grandmother told us that they were also woken up at 11pm. So the song is about how jarring losing the connection of a loved one can be.
There is indeed a spiritual feel to the delivery with the layered voices and backing singers and the energetic, hyperactive beat filled with soul and passion.
This is really quite beautiful and tinged with a resilience and determination through the sadness: a fitting elegy. ‘Garden Song’ is out now and can be downloaded or streamed here. Interstellar Tay is the work of Tay Zastrow.
Feature Photograph: Britt Spring
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