New Music Tuesday: Getting centered with The Bright Smoke

So much about daily life is stress inducing. From the minute we get up to the minute we go to sleep we’re inundated with choices, decisions, and obligations. Even something as simple as “What pants should I wear today?” can seem overwhelming when you have a million other things going on, as we all often do. The first time I ever heard a song by The Bright Smoke, I felt instantly at ease, like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. What manner of witchery are they practicing that makes them able to do this? Maybe they just “have the stuff.” Well, whatever it is, it works. Have a listen to “Hard Pander” off their latest album Terrible Towns and see if it slows your roll a bit.

I asked Quincy and Mia from the band to describe the last times they recall feeling perfectly at ease, and this is what they said:

Quincy:
“I’m not sure how it is for other people, but I think I’m in a perpetual state of uneasiness. I’m always questioning myself. I admire people who can be at ease and take time out to just chill and not worry about anything. The thing is that I don’t see this constant state of unrest as a bad thing. My anxiety and discomfort with what’s going on in my life and around me helps me be creative. Whenever I make something it’s a way for me to address what I’m feeling or how other people are feeling, so I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Mia:
“Like Quincy, I struggle for times where I’m truly at ease. However, recently I made a trip back home to Chicago and was in the house I grew up in as a teenager in the bedroom that used to be mine throughout high school. There is this specific light that occurs right around 5pm/5:30pm late in the summer that is strongly linked in my mind to summer vacation from school. The light and feel of that time of day at that time of year seems very specific to Illinois for me. It triggered a very calming nostalgia that quieted everything rattling around in my head for at least a few moments.”

Let’s all just take a deep breath, listen to some music, and try to remember the most important thing we can remember: We each have exactly ONE life to live, and it’s gonna click by whether we’re enjoying it or not. Might as well relax and enjoy it. Why waste time being stressed out when there’s so little of it to waste.

You can check The Bright Smoke out in person during their show at Union Hall on October 3rd. Full info HERE.

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