Have you ever heard a song that makes your heartbeat faster, so fast that it is almost hard to breathe, your chest is tight, and you are just overwhelmed with feelings, pure euphoria? Maybe not, but for me, when I find a song that I really like, I’ll replay it over and over again until I tire of it. However, the thing with this song is that no matter how many times I listen, I’ve never gotten bored or tired of it. Maybe it’s the fact that there is always some new aspect that I hadn’t noticed before or the calming nature of the song. In a way, this song is like a blanket in the cold; it comforts me and makes me feel safe.

This song is “Holding Hands” by The Magic Lantern off his third album, “To The Islands.” The Magic Lantern is a one-person act by British Australian singer-songwriter Jamie Doe. The song starts acapella with the line “I’m searching,” followed by a section of brass. These are such chilling opening lines. It sets up the tone of optimism and faith. He uses aspects of jazz, such as the saxophones, to give the song a homey feel. He also uses elements of pop while not following the conventional “formula for pop.” For example, one of the main things pop aims to have is a catchy chorus that repeats often. The repeated chorus gives the listener a sense of familiarity; although this is extremely helpful at getting listeners hooked, this song does not have one. Though it does not have a chorus, it does have a lot of repetition. The song repeats each verse’s last line, which gives the listener a similar sense of familiarity. The genre-bending nature of this song is one thing that attracts the listeners.

The song is about a man searching for his true love, hence the opening line. He knows that she must be out there, and she needs to “just carry on” until he finds her. This line is a beautiful way to open a song; it is full of hope and opportunity for this new love that he hopes to find. He then goes on to promise that he’ll find her and that it won’t be long if she holds on. This verse also marks a switch in the point of view. In the beginning, he is talking to an audience, but at this point, he begins speaking directly to his aforementioned true love. In the next verse, he says he is trying to be a better man, but the work “goes on.” This insinuates that he does not feel like his work makes him a good man or gives him enough time to look for his true love. The next verse talks about when all this (as in the luxuries in life) are washed away; some will still remain. Then he says one of the most beautiful lines in the song; he says that even though the luxuries are washed away, he is still “Full of hope in the pouring rain.” He sees her standing there “with wet shoes and wet hair,” and he knows that when this rainy day is done, they’ll make it “somehow, you know we will.” The somehow adds a sense of uncertainty while holding on to hope. The uncertainty makes it seem more real because in life, you don’t know how things will turn out or if they’ll even work out in the end, but you just need to have hope that they will. He ends the song by saying they’ll be “holding hands,” just like the title. The fact that the title isn’t said in the song until the end shows his journey to get there.

In conclusion, I’d give this song a 10/10; it’s just everything I want in a song. It evokes so many emotions that I didn’t even know I had. Now I’m searching…