Radical Face - 'Sunlight' — When The Horn Blows

Folk-favourite, Radical Face, is back with, ‘Sunlight’ a track that will capture fans of many genres across the musical spectrum.

‘Sunlight’ cries out into the night with Ben Cooper’s melancholic vocals taking the lead. The acoustic guitar glides beneath a bed of bass and piano keys, with the addition of a beautifully dusty lo-fi hip-hop-inspired beat. We’re also thrown into a scene from the very first second with the sound of crickets chirping, as though you’re lying in bed with your bedroom window open in the loneliness of the night. It ends with more scene-setting sound effects, with rain and thunder rumbling into frame and leading the song out. Everything about this song feels warm and nostalgic, brimming to the surface with raw emotion that exudes from Ben’s voice the same way Sufjan Stevens’ does at his most vulnerable and honest.

Lyrically, this song is a gorgeous piece of poetry. Ben’s pen game here is at its absolute strongest. He sings about wanting to move on from something in the past that’s been haunting him: “Could you teach me how to walk in the moonlight? Or show me how to bury these old knives? I’d like to get them out of my hands.” It’s a tender confessional, an exercise in asking for help to start again, giving listeners at their lowest hope for sunlight in the future.

Words of Curtis Saunders