Photos by Elliot Travis
Originally released earlier this year as an exceptionally polished demo, Rodes Rollin’s “Isolation” was a gentle and poetic expression of longing, a personal but relatable tune in the era of social distancing that tugged at heartstrings with a hopeful kind of melancholy wrapped up in psych-lite instrumentation set amid the twilit backdrop of an empty urban landscape. This new rendition partners Rollins with secular evangelical HNRY FLWR, expanding her bedroom demo into a breathtaking duet overflowing with cinematic emotion but maintaining the thoughtful intimacy of the original version.
“Isolation” has a kind of folksy familiarity, distilled down to primarily acoustic guitar accented with sparse tambourine and music-box piano. The music is minimal but strong, like handmade furniture well cared for and worn smooth by generations of use, comforting in its reliability. The lyrics, too, are simple but impactful and remain unchanged for the duet, but FLWR’s plainspoken earnestness pairs so perfectly with Rollin’s lilting drawl that it’s nearly impossible to imagine the song without the pair exchanging sentiments across the verses. The result feels like a private conversation between displaced lovers, reaching across the distance of space and memory for the warmth of contact, fingers entwined through mutual yearning.
The influence of HNRY FLWR’s quasi-religious spirituality is readily apparent in the arresting video by Wonderkind Works. Beams of light stream through stained glass windows as the dramatically lit historic Troy Music Hall is transformed into a place for the worship of humanity. Rollins radiates at center stage awash in the heavenly glow of a single spotlight, a divine siren pouring the contents of her soul into the venue seeking connection across the void. FLWR, in rapt affection, approaches her down the aisle, empty seats like pews vacant of the faithful save for this solitary pilgrim. As the camera shifts angles the seats begin to resemble tombstones, rows upon rows no longer empty but occupied by the suggestion of ghosts as the pilgrim wanders the fields of the dead in search of the comforting salvation offered on high. Finally taking the stage beside the one he has been searching for, the pilgrim and the siren are united in song, underscoring the belief that even in the depths of loneliness there is hope and solace if one has faith in the power of love.
2020 has been a test of faith for all of us, whether you believe in a higher power or not. But even in the darkest hours when the specter of loneliness hangs heavily over the seemingly endless progression of time it is important to remember that a light exists in even the simplest expressions of compassion. Until we can gather again in celebration, we will have to take solace in the fact that those we care about are always by our sides and despite the isolation we are all in this together.
You can keep up with Rodes Rollins on Instagram, and Spotify. You can keep up with HNRY FLWR on Instagram, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
