Music Review // iskwē "Exhale"

 

There is definitely a distinct sound that iskwē has.   "Exhale" begins with this big ringing sound, which brings out acoustics and then it goes into this steady beeping.  As the vocals kick in, this begins to feel more like electro-rock.  It really has similarities to a Polly Scattergood dance number.  More acoustics trill in the chorus and by the end all of the music slows down.  

At one point during this song I hear this alarm type of sound and I had to pause the music to make sure it wasn't outside.  This is set in the background and so it can feel like it isn't part of the song, but it's also something I would do if I made music to mess with people.   Though I think here, iskwē is doing it as part of the song in a sincere way and not to mess with anyone.

The lyrics on "Exhale" are about breathing out, as the chorus says "It's time for you to breathe (out)".    I'm not one who understand yoga or meditation but it very much feels like breathing out is an exercise to rid ourselves of that which is inside of us that we do not want to be there.   There are the lines "Lift up your heels / And release the past / The seeds you've planted / Bloom unannounced / It's time for you to breathe out" and that just feels like you're releasing all of that negativity.

Throughout this music video iskwē is dancing in black and white.   It almost feels like it's set inside of a yoga studio and I feel like there is a spiritual connection there.  Sometimes it isn't even about the metaphysical but rather just taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly is like letting go of this great pressure.   Sometimes we get wound so tight it feels like we're going to burst, but letting that air out is what can help us most.   Sometimes we just need to exhale.