Concert Review: Helena Deland Is Pre-Breakup At Elsewhere
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Helena Deland was perfect for the moody domain that is Elsewhere Zone One. Though a kind, friendly personality, her music played to the ending of a relationship but not exactly its finale. She sings to the moments, months, weeks, or even days before a break-up; when to the world thinks you are happy with someone, but, for you, alone might feel like better company.
So often, we discuss break-ups in post-fashion, but it is the time, just before, that is most valuable to self analysis. Tracks like, “A Stone Is A Stone,” “Take It All,” and “Claudion” settled like the loneliness that comes when your companion is miserable. Sonically, Helena feels like a VIP club in a post-apocalyptic world. Her baselines, synths, snares feel darkly high-end, and pop like champagnes over bitterness. She ties together the double-edged sword of exclusivity because both falling in and out of love make you feel one of a kind. Somehow, from “There Are A Thousand” to “Rise,” she managed to make heartbreak appear like a beautiful drama; an ingratiated pain that enlightens how much and deeply you loved.
Vocally, Helena hushes her lyrics; singing them as if she is not trying to awaken others with the thoughts that keep her up at night; the re-runs of what she could have done better to make her relationship last forever. Thus, she closes her eyes, and holds the mic and guitar so close to herself, she might as well carry them like children. Yet, that closeness brought a very distinct, intimate energy for a Friday, which even she noticed. She didn’t want to dampen our weekend with her sad songs but we were living for them.
Deland’s hints of sadness and hope overcast the room to make us forget time and space. We were in Helena’s lovely, music world, and it was filled with a soft voice enriched by thoughtfulness. Her capacity to make depth and even devastation feel simple, graspable, and a song you can repeat makes her one to watch. For More Information On Helena Deland Click Here.
