There have been many songs idolizing the stunning skylines of famous (and sometimes, not-so-famous) cities, praising their infinite possibilities and electric dreams. But U.K singer-songwriter Matt Perriment's "Denali" isn't about a great city and his love for it. It's about running away from the city he's in, and finding some peace and perspective in the mountains in Alaska, among the ranges of Denali.
"At the time of writing the track, I wanted to run away from the unforgiving and pressured life of London, and hike Denali," Perriment shares. "I wasn’t able to tour Alaska, but I was fortunate to do a two-month New Zealand tour playing 20 shows across the country. I started writing this track on the plane over to New Zealand, the first leg of my escape from London. The track was finished in Mueller Hut which sits on top of the largest mountain in New Zealand called Mount Cook. We’d hiked seven hours up there through the snow and I finished writing in that tiny remote hut on a broke guitar that had been left by a previous traveller.”
"Denali" is a surprise track, a late addition to his Memos EP, released earlier this year. Meant to complete the creative chapter of this new EP and its vast sentimental soundscape, it offers tranquility and hope for things to come. Marked by an emotive guitar melody and searing vocals, "Denali" puts on a face of melancholy and introspection. Around the one-minute mark, though, it transforms from a wistful melody to a climactic, percussive anthem, with Perriment affirming "To Denali, I will run" in a euphoric hook. No longer a soul-search, "Denali" seals the end of Perriment's emotional journey, and takes in a found soul among the quiet heights above the world.
Connect with Matt Perriment: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
