Wild Pink have followed up recent jam “ILYSM” with a second taste of their forthcoming album, “Hold My Hand”. It finds them inviting in Julien Baker as guest vocalist, and Wild Pink’s vocalist John Ross reveals this about the song:
“I wrote that song right after my first surgery, about lying on the operating table where a member of the surgical team held my hand right before I went under. It sounds kind of arbitrary, and like it shouldn’t have been as impactful as it was, but I felt very comforted and wanted to capture that loving feeling in the song.
“I knew pretty quickly that I wanted it to be a duet, and I’m super grateful to Julien for joining me on it. This was one of the first songs we rehearsed together as a band in the studio and David’s piano part felt great almost immediately. There were a couple moments like that in the recording process where a song just immediately fell into place as soon as we started playing it.”
“Hold My Hand” finds Ross on a “moonless night like a dreamless sleep”, but far from agitated – he has the warmth and love of someone he trusts nearby, providing him with the support and reassurance he needs. Baker takes the second verse, her voice delicate but determined, emboldened by the love she is feeling. Gorgeous piano playing plays through the song, lighting the path through the darkness and providing an aural equivalent to the emotions that Ross and Baker express through the song. “Hold My Hand” then finds the two singers in harmony, simply repeating the title while pedal steel and horns skate across the song: it’s all that’s needed to express a well of true empathy and understanding.
Listen to “Hold My Hand” below or find it on your preferred streamer.
Wild Pink’s new album ILYSM will be out on October 14 through Royal Mountain. Find the band on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bandcamp.
