Drawing us in with a meditative frequency and glistening, astral synthscape, Danielle Schroeder opens The Ache of Living with celestial, introspective prose as she sings, “Evening star, you’ve been waiting within the shadow, with a message I’ve gotta follow, in the ache of living…”

The opus, aptly released on the Taurus new moon, expands with textured drums and a relatable message with a high emotional quotient, as Danielle shares her soul, loss, lived experience, wisdom and spiritual depth with us. We feel connected to the authenticity that transpires with her lyricism and the track’s cinematic allure with reference to the death of her friend.

This message is about struggling through pain, grief, and personal demons, whilst still finding hope and guidance in the symbolic “evening star” that leads us toward healing and self-acceptance. It captures the tension between overwhelming darkness, and the belief that renewal and strength can come through facing and releasing old wounds.

The track features Paolo Pietropaolo on piano, whilst Jeremiah Schneider performs bass and electric guitars, and Aaron Klassen shares his skill on wider production. Perfect for Hollywood synch deals for a dramatic coming of age film, The Ache of Living feels self-realized, melodic and of course, sentimental. Through the introspection with find hope and optimism in the message as the prose takes on a more assertive and cathartic direction.

We learn that The Ache of Living is the first single from Danielle Schroeder‘s new record Later is Here, which is set to be released in June. The star confesses, “I wrote The Ache of Living after losing a dear friend last summer. What I really didn’t expect when my friend died was just how vulnerable I would feel being in such raw grief in front of my children.”

Danielle continues, “It’s hard not to feel there’s something wrong with you when you can’t stop crying in front of your kids. So writing this song helped me process her death and face a new layer of my vulnerability which wasn’t easy.”

The consciously astute artist cites Joni Mitchell, The War on Drugs and Radiohead as sonic influences, which we can feel come through in The Ache of Living, although there is no doubt that Danielle Schroeder is manifesting a sound of her own. She tells us, “I wanted to craft an emotionally expressive sound to complement my introspective lyrics.”

Naturally, we have added The Ache of Living to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to explore Danielle Schroeder‘s growing discography, including the entirety of her 2024 EP, Between Two Worlds.

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