From the opening two-note guitar motif “Dreamer” takes you on a journey. Candace Quarrels and Brittany Campbell, the two artists making up Mermaid, weave floating, ethereal vocal lines. Whether singing in perfectly balanced unison or stunning harmonies, their voices transport your mind to relaxing places – waves on a beach or the rustling of leaves in an open field.

This is music for relaxation – a perfect calming antidote to the chaos and heaviness that is grasping the world in this moment – the music provides a welcome respite from the anxious thoughts and feelings surrounding so many of our lives today. This track leaves you breathing deeper, quieter with more awareness of your surroundings and a deeper respect for simplicity.

But listen deeper – past the calming sounds of the gossamer voices and music to the lyrics – and therein lies the juxtaposition of questioning and introspective souls eager to discover their own truth and happiness. There we find the perfect marriage of finding joy in the heartache. For there is struggle in the lyric that directly contrasts the simplicity and peacefulness of the harmonic and melodic elements in this song. The lyrics question which path to follow, which choice to make – the one most well-traveled and safe, or the one that challenges pre-conceived ideas of how one should live and who one should love. Asking if those who love another whom they have been shown or told they shouldn’t are sinners – or if their boundless love is enough to overcome the stereotypes and preconceived ideas of who is allowed to love whom.

A provocative and compelling lyric tied to an evocative and otherworldly (and well produced) musical background; this is a well-crafted and stunning commentary on love – somehow reminiscent of Webster & Fain’s “Secret Love” and Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”. Wholly worth listening to and adding to your favorite playlist.