During the first pandemic lockdown, Xan Tyler (based in Scotland) and Dusty Stray (aka Jonathan Brown, a Texan expat based in Amsterdam) sent each other songs recorded in their respective home studios so that they could add additional instruments and vocals. ‘Home’ is the title track of the resulting album, and they say this single best captures the feeling of their first collaborative production.
Right from the start, I could hear every squeak, scratch and strum of the warm, tactile guitar.
It’s a simple, elegant arrangement. Jonathan’s voice is front and centre, and has a satisfyingly gravelly, folksy tone. When Xan comes in, the harmony works really well to highlight the melody, and it feels like the other character in this story has arrived.
The delicate melody floats around like a feather in the breeze, high notes held for us to savour. The song moves at a perfectly judged pace, and the story unfolds one verse after another.
I found the song steeped in melancholy, but – as we all know – music is highly subjective. Jonathan writes: ‘Home’ is an uplifting folk pop song about ends and beginnings, loss and renewal and ghost-like memories that linger in a house that used to be a loving home.
They sing:
“Though I know it’s over, I’m up for one more try
I never said I was sorry, We never said goodbye”
Despite the physical distance between them during the making of the ‘Home’, Dusty Stray & Xan have managed to create an intimate and deeply connected track, which brings you up close to the feeling and the emotion of the story behind it.
Dusty Stray
Xan Tyler
Written by Grubby
