Robin Kenny’s new single, Hoping/Fading, arrives on December 10, and it carries the quiet force of a sunrise breaking through mist. In fact, I first heard it on an early morning train, watching the light growing from the cold fog in real time. The slow crescendo of this track mirrored the moment so closely that it made me feel almost weightless, as if the song and the landscape had agreed on a common vibe. Beneath its warmth lies an honest portrait of regret, resignation, and the strangely gentle peace that follows a painful breakup.
The song begins sparsely, a lone strummed instrument (perhaps a Spanish guitar) clearing space for Kenny’s voice to land. Subtle lo-fi glitches and electric guitar feedback introduce the dream-pop haze.
As the arrangement builds, and instruments keep adding up, the emotional stakes sharpen. When the Ottawan artist reaches the line “now I understand… you are a collector of things… things you shouldn’t have,” the production opens up: drums shift progressively from a relaxed groove into a more chaotic rhythm, while layered overdriven guitars, swelling synths, and her signature piano lines push the track into its cathartic ascent.
There’s a striking sound design choice that I particularly loved as a producer: a physically modeled synth flute run through distortion or bitcrushing. That detail gives the climax a surreal, ecstatic tint, right before a piano break that feels relieving. This is followed by a second crescendo that ends in a fuzzy/distorted, chaotic electric guitar solo filled with pinch harmonics. A clear psychedelic rock influence.
Interestingly, the vocals remain stoic, with a similar, calm tone all along the track despite the heartbroken message and chaotic crescendos. An interesting creative choice.
By the time the final layers of the song resolve, the track feels like the moment you finally exhale after carrying something heavy for too long: a small, defiant kind of rising hope, both intimate and expansive.
Written by Gabi SaltaSoles, DIY producer and storyteller
