Review: "Atlas" - Filiah x welovemelodies

Madison Spies
Jan 22
2 min read

Meld yourself into a world of wonderous melody and genre-bending whirls with “Atlas” from artist Filiah and open art collective ‘welovemelodies.’ “Atlas” starts off moody and funk-laced, with Filiah laying down catchy, melodic vocals alongside a powerful, backing bass. The track smoothly transitions between folk-like, indie-propelled sounds to a near full-blown mixture of rock and alternative. This song is not one thing nor aimed toward one goal. With the blend of eclectic instruments with Filiah’s power-filled, yet smooth and polished voice there is no doubt that “Atlas” is a song like no other. Off the top of my head, there is no artist I can draw comparison to. While the sound of “Atlas” is overall simply unique and indescribable, the track brings me back to my childhood with its use of banjo, guitar, etc., and reminds me of early 2000’s country, folk, and alternative music. Some fragments of this song lean more toward an angsty, Alanis Morissette while others imitate the energy of a throwback from The Chicks.

“Atlas” is a complex, raw, and very telling song. Much like its story of confusion, frustration, love, and faith in oneself, “Atlas” is authentic and powerfully relatable – especially to young listeners. The simple line, “You made it look so easy!” from Filiah, aimed at herself while speaking into a mirror, is a small example of how emotionally complex and intelligently written “Atlas” is. The song takes simple, human concepts and transforms them into reflections of struggle, forgiveness, compassion, and connection. While delving into these topics, listeners can hear exact emotions in Filiah’s voice. At times where the song discusses more frustrating, compressing feelings, Filiah’s voice matches the tone perfectly and precisely emphasizes what she wants to say. On top of its well-rounded sound and impressive ability to connect with others through its blend of lyricism and layered instruments, “Atlas” is ultimately a song that speaks to the heart. There is not a moment left for listeners to misinterpret its lyrics, nor a question on how the artists are feeling in a particular moment, and it beautifully describes struggling to navigate life and believe in yourself as well as how to show yourself forgiveness & kindness when needed.

Filiah is an Austrian indie-folk artist. After releasing her debut album “For Someone”, Filiah decided to take a step back from music altogether after experiencing exhaustion & complexities that came with the music industry. Upon stepping back from music, Filiah’s songs circulated throughout Austrian singer-songwriter circles who believed in her and her music. Members of these circles decided to create a songwriting retreat on the Croation coast, where the open art collective ‘welovemelodies’ warmly welcomed Filiah. welovemelodies is a group of songwriters, music producers, and artists dedicated to creating lovable music of various genres. When Filiah joined welovemelodies at this retreat, the song “Atlas” was born. This song not only is a “rebirth” of sorts but additionally a story of conquer over writers block and the struggles that come along with that.