On October 27th, singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell released a new single, “Bright Star,” and announced her first solo record in over a decade. The self-titled album, Anais Mitchell, will be released on January 28th, 2022. “Produced by Josh Kaufman, the 10-song album also features core players including Kaufman, Michael Lewis, JT Bates, Thomas Bartlett and Aaron Dessner, with string and flute arrangements provided by Nico Muhly.”
“Bright Star” is a gorgeous song that finds Mitchell “making peace with the idea of being at peace in the familiar setting of her grandparents’ house.” “During the first pandemic summer I was staying on the family farm where I grew up, in a little house that belonged to my grandparents when they were alive. I could see the stars for the first time in a long time,” Mitchell recalled. “I wasn’t traveling anywhere, or even doing much of anything, for the first time in a long time. ‘Bright Star’ is about looking back on years of restless pursuit and making peace with the source of that longing: the Muse, the Great Unknown, the One That Got Away — those things that motivate us that we never can touch.”
The song itself, as previously mentioned, is beautiful. The lyrics are fantastic, the production is incredible, and the energy of the track has the perfect hero’s journey arc. It starts off soft and simple, and as the song progresses, it just gets more and more loud and complex until it reaches a climax. Following that climax, the song reverts back to the calm of the introduction, and the track is over. The lyrics prove that the protagonist of the song has undergone some form of change before their return, as Mitchell sings “If I could have flown beside you/I would not have had the sight of you/To guide me through the world so wide/And bright.”
Check out the official music video of “Bright Star” below, and let us know what you think of the track!
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