"I deserve to be well," frontman David Wimbish declared on his band's 2023 single, "Medication." It sounded like the singer was stepping out into the sun after a long hibernation, basking in the golden glow. For their latest single, "Spark of Hope," indie-pop band The Collection slow things down to a timid crawl, backed mostly by just piano and airy reverb and delay. The group's cheery optimism is traded for a patiently nurtured confidence in the process of blooming. "Spark of Hope" is subtle but not simple. Listen to how the backing vocals rise just barely into the mix, more for added texture than power. Echoing snares briefly skip like stones across the flowing music. Each element is carefully considered and balanced to keep the flickering embers alight without setting them ablaze.
Known for their poetic lyricism, The Collection once again prove their talent for distilling sky-scraping feelings into vivid images. "Though it's getting cold trying to hide from the rain, I'm living on a spark of hope." As Wimbish sings, the slighter the sense of hope, the harder you must hold onto it. It isn't easy, hence the timid nature of the ballad, but the effect is magic. "I'm giving all I know," he sings with soft passion. That image—a spark of hope—is typically seen as the catalyst to something bigger. On The Collection's song, however, we don't see what that spark might lead to. Instead, they picture it as something precious to protect within themselves. It may be a mere spark for much longer than a moment, but the only necessity is that it never dies out.
The Collection first broke onto the scene in 2011 with their self-titled EP. The set demonstrated their poeticism through naturalistic folk-tales. Their folky mysticism continued with their epic debut album, Ars Moriendi. When it came time for their sophomore LP, released in 2017, The Collection turned towards more pop-oriented directions without losing the acoustic heartache of their prior work. That album would be followed up only a year later with their next. The prolific band continued with a string of fantastic singles and EPs, leading to last year's EP, How To Survive An Ending. Of course, the title did not spell the ending for the band's excellence. Along with "Spark of Hope," they have released two other singles ahead of their upcoming album.
Written By Andy M.
FOLLOW The Collection: