In Conversation: Beryl’s Lush New Single ‘Time Around’

‘It was getting close to midnight when Blain and I decided to reel in Alex and his ego and call the session to an end!’ Sydney singer-songwriter duo Beryl’s new single “Time Around” begins with a whimsical guitar lead, before the thickest and smoothest legion of woodwinds you’ve ever heard fills the generous, comforting space between its re-entries.

Alex and Gabriela wrote the song while camping in the Snowy Mountains, and it shows in the music. ‘I came up with the riff on guitar and Gabs wrote this beautiful melody which fits over the riff in this really odd way’ Alex tells me. Indeed, the decision to sing the chorus melody over the riffs, rather than the ample space around them, pays off fantastically, drawing you into the sleepy reeds that cocoon the laid-back drums.

Given the refrain of “Hold on, hold tightly”, 2020 begs the question “Is “Time Around” a COVID-19 inspired song?” But stirring imagery of water and graves in the verses reveals something different. Gabriela explains, ‘The lyrics are about navigating relationships when the people involved are dealing with mental health stuff. The imagery around closeness is really about support.’ Gabriela generously gives credence to my COVID-19 interpretation though, adding ‘it’s just about dealing with a difficult period, which many of us have had this year.’

For Beryl, song meanings stem from the feeling of a melody. ‘We pretty much always write the melody beforehand, and then I sit with how I think it feels and then write the lyrics’, Gabriela tells me. Alex adds ‘we’re influenced a lot by the things around us – people, our relationships, experiences and just everyday stuff really.’ Alex also namechecks musicians that have influenced Beryl such as Julia Jacklin (whose collaborator Blain Cunneen played guitar on, and mixed and recorded, Time Around) as well as “the incredible Sydney music scene”.

Speaking of the Sydney music scene, music-lovers keen to get back to live gigs in Sydney will be pleased to know that Beryl will be playing alongside incredible experimental electro-pop artist Romæo and stunning singer-songwriter Skinny Legions on January 17th at the Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville. Alex adds ‘There’ll be more info on our socials coming out soon, so stay tuned.’

As for Beryl’s other future musical plans, Gabriela informs me ‘We’ve got a couple more singles coming out next year which we’re super excited for people to hear. And on top of that our plans are just to get our live set really solid and start playing some shows now that venues are opening up again!’

2021 should be all the brighter for it.

You can hear more from Beryl on the latest episode of Send Moods and their social media.