An earnest serenity oozes from Jessye DeSilva’s veins. “Twilight woods quiet as a graveyard / Well-worn paths haven’t been the same,” they sing over prickly acoustics. “Strangling vines cover where I carved my name.” Reality is cold and stark, yet the refrain carries a plea to let it slide off an aching backbone. “Lay it down,” DeSilva chants over and over again. It’s a beautifully understated performance, further proof of their adeptness as a beyond-their-years vocal storyteller.
Listen to “Proud and Lonely” below.