Memorial - 'Dialtone'
Folk-adjacent duo Memorial have just announced their debut album, out April 29th, and with it comes the stunning new single ‘Dialtone’; a wistful, calming exploration of what it means to be friends separated by land and time.
Following the recent release of their highly-praised single ‘Latchkey’ — a beautiful track that has featured on Spotify’s highly coveted ‘The Most Beautiful Songs in the World’ playlist (a well-deserved accolade), and has also recently been nominated for Song of the Year at the AMA UK Awards - today folk-pop duo Memorial announce details of their self-titled debut studio album, out April 29th. And with every great album announcement there comes a great single: in this case, Dialtone.
Dialtone by Memorial is like an auditory caress, ethereal wisps surround you yet seem to disappear as you take them in. The folk-pop duo’s gentle crooning whisks you back to halcyon days of peace, hope and love; little sparklers before a campfire, running around with a best friend as the sun sets. It somehow flits perfectly between love, longing and loneliness, all tinged with the beautiful gleam of hope.
Even the music video, the first which has a complete storyline, sees Jack and Ollie communicating through tins and string — invoking, as much as it does the childish innocent that comes with it, the idyllic state of not being glued to technology — and instinctively knowing that, when the string goes slack, something has happened. Something must have happened. No hesitation, just simple trust and knowing that the other will always be there for them; and so Jack, bedecked in pajamas, traverses Bristol to find his friend.
For the childlike wonder conjured by the video, the vastness of a city is no different to the swathes of land separating the real duo, with them having moved to separate parts of the country. Yet this separation, rather than severing the bond, strengthened it; as convenience died, and the reliance and dependence remained, it just showed the two how close they are. Indeed, it just shows how important this is for everyone — to be able to recognize these relationships and just how much we need each other.
Four tracks from this upcoming album have already been released: the newly released Dialtone; the afore-mentioned Latchkey, a heart-wrenching yet serene goodbye between loved ones — “leaving doesn’t have to be this complicated game” — “Love Is a Kind Of Sadness”, a lament on loneliness, as the characters the two create crave connection; and the pensive yet resigned, trumpet-featuring, debut single Moth To a Flame. All are equally brilliant, and yet all still have that same yearning, that almost mournful ache that reverberates in your heart as each delicate harmony kicks in. With Dialtone as strong as it is, it sets high expectations for what’s to come.
Dialtone is a fantastic song, but be warned — brace yourself for the feels.
Words by James O’Sullivan
