Although starting in an acoustic pop place, “Etched In Love” gradually spreads its wings and explores other, adjacent sonic territory as it moves forward. Beats join the fray, raw guitars add a distant, rock and roll frisson, and the song quickly finds its way to that sweet spot where pop and rock and roots and indie-folk all seem to meet and mix and merge. And do so marvelously.
And even as the music grows bigger, deeper, broader, more cinematic, Maryann Connolly’s voice remains dreamlike and delicate, a floating, melancholic counterpoint to the musical wave rising behind her.
But more than the sounds she makes, it is the feelings she evokes that are the key to the song’s charm. As the title might suggest, this is a song built around the conflicting feelings that arise after a relationship ends, that often confusing mix of sadness and regret, but also of freedom and relief. Love, loss, longing, life, and liberty all made manifest in the music.
It’s pop rock for the here and now, a continuation of age-old music traditions, perhaps, but in a sonic package and with a voice that will resonate with its more youthful target audience.
