The Bellwether Syndicate makes music with hidden depths. Not just sonically, although there is no shortage of layer upon layer of dark textures and brooding tones making up their music, but lyrically too. The message captured within this song might seem to be a simple one, a straightforward expression of love. Love for friends, family, fans, and followers. But the song goes further than that. It reminds us that these people are always there as a guiding light on the horizon, the beacon that helps us navigate home. A sentiment that we can all understand, that we can all relate to, that we can all share. Perhaps more so than ever in these dark times.
And if the music can conjure images of fathomless depths, dark oceans, and storm-lashed seas through washes and waves of guitars, pulsing bass crescendoes, and brooding vocals, the lyrics, in turn, offer reassurance, reminding us of the helping hands that bring us home safe and sound.
As an older gent whose formative years found me immersed in the early gothic scene and the darker end of the post-punk sound, I love the song. Of course I do. The genre may have later become consumed by rock and rollers and fetish wear fans, sci-fi sentiments, and cosplay imagery, but The Bellwether Syndicate is a reminder of just what made the sound and the scene great in the first place. And what, given a prevailing wind and a fortuitous tide, may do so again.
Bandcamp
Spotify
Order / stream the singles
Dystopian Mirror
