“I don’t know how to miss you,” OTNES sings as the opening line to their newest single, ‘Light As A Feather’.

Grief comes in unexpected waves: the heart can feel as though it’s battling an ocean. Few artists can sum up that ocean into one coherent statement. But, OTNES finds a way to ride those waves in under four minutes.

A recent transplant to Nashville via Chicago, OTNES’ debut release ‘Spin’ introduced the world to their dreamy, sunkissed sound. This is new territory for this artist, whose past work has been included in VICE, Hulu’s ‘Maggie,’ and shows like Love Island. They’ve recently been a member of Disney’s Recital of Remixes Season Two.

Though OTNES’ career does seem to be swinging upwards, ‘Light As A Feather’ was written after a loss in their personal life. For them, writing this song was an act of healing. They recall, “I wanted to show the duality of grief in this video, from the peace I find within my own mind to the chaos and calamity of feeling your feelings out in the world.” While the song’s lyrics and soundscape explore the introspective side of loss, the video explores how grief impacts our relationship to our surroundings. For the first verse and chorus, OTNES sings in natural spaces. Armed with giant wings, they appear to be calm and at peace surrounded by blue sky and water. But then, the tone of the video shifts. OTNES snaps out of a dream into a house party. They are a master of micro-expressions, alerting their audience that here in this crowded room they are still coping with something big and surreal and sad.

Artists have the complicated job of both telling the world exactly as it is while at the same time guiding us into an imaginary realm to escape or transcend our present condition. OTNES balances on that tightrope perfectly with ‘Light As A Feather’. Let the music soothe the parts of you that are still healing.

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