As a smaller-than-average child and now 5’2” adult, Thumbelina and Polly Pocket were and are fascinating heroines to me. And being one to always read books by their covers, I was naturally intrigued by this single from Toronto singer/producer, Coleman Hell – christened after Hans Christian Andersen's pint-size character.
Regardless of whether you can associate with the title or not, you’ll undeniably be taken with the track's pop beat artillery, infectious melody similar to American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life,” and the raspy, energized, and earnest chorus c/o Coleman. The hook, “When you scream but your voice ain’t loud / and you want to break down because you feel so small / know you got one believer / because you’re my Thumbalina,” parallels the physicality of being petite with feelings of insignificance and irrelevance. But the song is a happy one, with Coleman attesting his protection in the form of his palm to the miniature muse.
The glowing warmth and visual lyrics (freckles turning to ladybugs, etc.) at 1:28 feel a little like Owl City and the crashing tidal vocals are on par with small-statured, yet massively talented, Bruno Mars. The song length is only 2:55 unfortunately but that just means the replay button is getting a workout. Give “Thumbalina” a spin and scope Coleman Hell at his socials below.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/194919877" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
