by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s been two long years since Chicago’s Sonny Falls released their full length debut, Some Kind of Spectre, together with Sooper Records (NNAMDÏ, Blacker Face, Woongi). Since then the band has done a good deal of touring and are now stepping out on their own with an upcoming album. Before that however, Ryan “Hoagie Wesley” Ensley’s project will release a new digital single, “Lives Unlived” b/w “Hidden Coyotes,” due out today. The two songs were written and recorded since our current age of quarantine began, capturing a beautiful sense of wonder and contentment.
The pair of songs are built on gorgeous acoustic treatments, paired with quiet synth drifts and Hoagie Wesley’s comforting voice, both gentle and reassuring. There’s a feeling that we’re all in together that comes through in his vocals, soft and contemplative, wondering about his surroundings in both songs, while feeling content in his world.
Speaking about the songs, Ensley shared:
“I wrote “Lives Unlived” and “Hidden Coyotes” after taking a long drive around Chicago, which was totally deserted at the beginning of the Coronavirus. When I take long drives I always imagine what my life would be like if I were to live in different neighborhoods, different kinds of buildings, with different corner bars or grocery stores where I could be a regular. I imagine living on the top floor of some massive building or maybe having a tiny bungalow on a quiet street. I’m often overwhelmed at the fact that, as far as we know, we have only one life to live.
I’ll never live in a massive building overlooking the lake and I might never own a tiny bungalow house, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to imagine — if only to appreciate what I do have even more. Given the current state of the world, realizing that we are all inextricably connected is more important than ever and being present-minded as much as possible is crucial, at least for me. That being said, I find it very comforting that someone is sitting in their big apartment building or their tiny bungalow and I’m sitting here in my house and that is (gonna have to be) good enough for me.”