Single Review: As I Rise

Outspoken creative Coral, also known as Coral Pitcher, seeks growth on her striking single As I Rise. Best enjoyed alongside its entrancing music video, the song sees Coral revel in the galaxy and visually become one with the universe.

As I Rise is an enchanting track. With its sweeping, shuddering melodies, all the focus rests on Coral’s voice and lyricism. She drums in the line, “you are yours to heal”, particularly in the closing moments. It’s high performance art drama that makes even the simplest statements profound. Instrumentally, the plain yet haunting percussion capture an indigenous feel, building subtly and effectively, and the backing vocals which come in midway through add a unique additional layer and real sense of the strange.

At times, the mix feels less clean and full than it could be, but the nature of the songwriting itself makes this issue melt away. It’s a tough job to keep a song this lyrically and instrumentally sparse without stripping it of its power, but Coral pulls it off. Given the core idea of rising above something, however, it would be nice to have some greater depth on what exactly the mystery of healing entails.

Purposeful in its plainness, As I Rise is a learning experience provided by a magical voice on Aotearoa’s music scene. If you open your heart and mind to this track, you’ll enjoy it in all its glory.