Chicago-area artist Ben Aubergine explores the weight of relational fatigue on “Farewell.” Reimagined from a 1996 composition, the minimalist folk track pairs solemn cello with atmospheric acoustic guitar, capturing the gradual realization and eventual relief when a stagnant partnership finally dissolves. The track beautifully demonstrates Aubergine’s versatility, proving his acoustic-forward storytelling is just as impactful as his recent, rock-oriented productions, like the previously featured “Spoke For What I Knew.”

“In the end, I was free, we were finally enemies,” Aubergine’s resonant vocal presence lets out amidst trickling acoustics and a gentle rhythmic backing, thematically representing a cathartic sense of liberation following a relationship. “You knew me better than I’d wished,” his vocals then exude with chilly retrospection as heartrending cello enters, overall capturing a sort of post-relationship analysis — further evident in the “as the air began to turn, no living spark was left to burn” lyricism. Gorgeous acoustics and solemn cello combine with these vulnerable accounts of deterioration, where two people find themselves falling out of love.

Depictions of uneven perspectives, where one partner is ready to move on before the other, are emphasized in subsequent verses. “You held on longer than I’d wished,” Aubergine sings, with “I tried to leave you” laments following — showcasing two people that truly did their best, though found themselves eventually breaking up. “Farewell” is a riveting piece of folk songwriting that tactfully balances melancholic recollections with forward-looking liberation, where hearts are less heavy and personal freedom has returned.

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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.

We discovered this release via MusoSoup.

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