Quiet Light's "Berlin" Turns Heartbreak Into a Dream Sequence

Quiet Light often describes her songs as “dream sequences,” and this stays true with her new single ‘Berlin.’ With a mix of electric pop and emotional songwriting, she crafts a piece that has you feeling her frustration and desperation with her. 

The song centers around a relationship she can’t seem to escape or let go of. She feels pulled toward them and describes it as “the undertow.” An undertow, also known as a rip tide, is the current underneath waves. Even with all of the issues, it’s the perfect image to describe this relationship.  

In the song, she uses a lot of repetition pulling us back and forth. We get this sense that their relationship is strained when she repeats “You, you used to be obsessed with me and now you don’t know.” It’s a relatable feeling, having someone you used to be close with become a stranger and not know you anymore. 

As the song slowly amps up, she adds more chaos. The person calls her from the ER. This is when we start to hear a voice memo, which Quiet Light often uses. Drowned out at times as the beat gets louder, you can just catch the person talking about skips and steps in music theory. It fades into the music as she starts to repeat “You call me on the train.” She repeats this as it fades out, leaving us with the feeling that things are still unresolved. 

While not revealing everything, there are so many ways to connect to her music. This is the reason why I really enjoyed this single. It has many vivid images mixed with this interesting style that feels dream-like and mesmerizing. It’s easily one of those songs you blast in your headphones as you contemplate life.  

As an artist, Quiet Light’s music is authentic, complex, and mystic. Her synthetic, mystic sound will draw you in and her songwriting will keep you coming back. Quiet Light will be releasing her sixth album, Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2, on April 24^th.