Photo by Davey Pentecost
Brighton-based artist Bess Atwell has returned with new single “The Weeping”, which is her first new material since her 2021 album, Already, Always, which was one of our favorites of 2021.
The song was produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, and his fingerprints are all over this track. Lush and harmonious instrumentation sets the perfect backdrop for Atwell’s commanding and utterly devastating vocals.
Speaking on the “The Weeping”, Atwell explains:
“I knew The Weeping was in me, I just wasn’t sure when it would decide to come out. I only knew I was writing it when I got to the second verse and realised I finally had a vantage point. My younger sister is autistic, the kind of non-verbal autism that requires 24/7 care, and this track is mostly about what it was like to grow up with her. The Weeping explores the parallels between me and my sister which is more interesting when you consider that I wrote it before I found out that I’m also autistic, this year – albeit, in a far less debilitating, disabling way.” Atwell explains,“When we were children, my sister had a toy fish tank that would light up and play music when you hit the button. I used to fall asleep next door to the sound of her replaying the toy’s melancholic piano lullaby. At just seven years old I had some understanding of the loneliness and confusion that came with being unable to communicate effectively, and stuck in your own strange world. I felt, viscerally, the attempts to self soothe with every hit of the button as the song began to play again.”
Enjoy a listen to the track now below.
Join the conversation