Good relationships are the ones that help keep you grounded. They quiet the chaos around you by being able to turn to a stable, support system. However, the end result of a concrete relationship crumbling to dust can debilitate the strongest of individual foundations. Singer-songwriter Jon Sandman scours through the rubble in the wake of a demolished relationship on his latest single, “Dear Friends.”
On this tune, weariness reigns supreme. From the fatigue that radiates from the guitar to Sandman’s solemn vocals, there is a distinct drowsiness that saps any hint of vibrant life. After exiting your former, technicolor life, you are transported to the drab realm of relationship purgatory. The birds won’t sing, the flowers won’t bloom and every song on the radio is a funeral dirge. Sandman plays the woesome mourner, deconstructing and fixating on where it all went wrong.
From the get go, everything is “under the microscope” for Sandman, which casts his “hopes and dreams into a deep sleep.” Paralysis by analysis takes hold, leading the bright side to hibernate within. Eventually, Sandman talks himself off the ledge, reassuring himself that there is “no need to climb the mast just yet.” He’s not climbing the walls out of madness, but he is definitely not jumping for joy.
In total, each round of the chorus completes the transfer of emotional pain into physical agony. “The marrow in my bones aches,” Sandman laments. Later, it is “a gut punch.” The end result is “doldrums that resonate with every single action.” In the end, it all becomes a visceral sensation that affects him to the core.
On “Dear Friends,” Sandman wrenches out a deep, stressed vibe. It is a gradual release of the emotional valves to let off a collective steam. It is a slow burn that feels no need to rush in with harsh intensity to convey a deep seeded pain.
Written by Travis Boyer
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