Zella Day and Weyes Blood first sang together on stage during Lana Del Rey’s Norman F*cking Rockwell tour, and the crowd’s response to that moment led to talks about an official collaboration. Now, Day and Weyes Blood have finally shared the result of their songwriting sessions, “Holocene.”
The folksy single, which is inspired by songs from the venerable musician Daniel Johnston, is layered with rich harmonies. Both Day and Weyes Blood lend their vocals on the track, delivering a tune about the importance of holding onto hope.
Speaking about the single in a statement, Day said:
“These days it seems music is the only superpower I can count on to protect me from the threats that lurk within the complete unknown. If hope were a paper airplane and shot into the sky I grabbed it with my hands as it was floating by and unfolded the paper to absorb the contents inside. ‘Crazy Train’ was scribbled at the top of the page and when I looked to see what the words were that were bleeding through from the other side of the paper ‘Holocene’ was there waiting to be sung. There was laughter in the room when the songs were made, tears being shed on the other sides of the walls, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I didn’t cry in the studio too. We’ve all needed a refuge this year, this is a glimpse into mine.
Over the last year I have found myself living in two conflicted mental states: days where I’m impassioned, so many words and thoughts surrounding our current climate extending throughout my being. The other reality is emptiness, a complete loss for words. Exhaustion. Loneliness. Sometimes loneliness becomes a giant casting a long shadow that I can’t outrun. I learned not to be too hard on myself in these moments, ultimately trusting that the motivation to create would eventually come back to me. ‘Holocene’ was the rain that fell. It’s a collection of thoughts, a song for the interpersonal relationship between the world inside and outside of ourselves.”
Listen to Weyes Blood and Zella Day’s “Holocene” above.
