Last we heard from Sayryn, they had released their album Cautionary Tales. Ten songs from the duo of Saya Santaquilani and Bryn Colodny. Acoustic driven performances driving folk inspired murder ballads. Sparse, sharp songs with percolating tension and plenty of soaring harmonies.
With the release of the new single “Burning Field,” the pair evolves their sparse arrangements into a slow burn that unfurls into a weighty yearning. According to the band’s notes, the song was inspired by the phrase “bird in the burning field” – a reference to the relentless tenacity of the female Japanese green pheasant, a bird renowned for defending it’s eggs even in the face of an encroaching fire. The track’s lyrics pay direct homage to that devotion of motherhood (may we all be so lucky) while the arrangement itself cleverly evokes the feeling of an oncoming wrath. Santaquilani and Colodny’s harmonies continue to weave together in a haunting manner, downright medieval in fact. Three minutes in, the song explodes into a fuller sound, unleashing a longing melancholy. That may not be a feeling you’d think could be unleashed but “Burning Field” is proof that not only is it possible but Sayryn is authentically expressing it.
While it’s just one track, “Burning Field” serves as an assurance that Sayryn is continuing to evolve their work. Their recent set at Spooky Ghoul Fest was minimal instrumentation yet entirely captivating. Hopefully that recent performance and this single are signs hinting at a larger body of work coming soon. I’m ready for more sharp, folk inspired, harmony laden tales from these bards.
