Earlier this year we heard and reviewed Tod Pronto’s album It Can’t All Be Wrong. His newest single Hide Away (From The Sun) was scheduled to be released next year (2017) as part of his next album, but due to an overwhelming response to live performances of the song around New England, he decided to get the single out a little sooner.
To give some context for the piece; Hide Away (From The Sun) was written shortly after Tod sadly lost his mother to cancer in 2015, following a near ten year battle with the disease. It’s a song that means a lot to him as an artist, but it’s also one that reaches much further than what is personal – it’s about something that affects so many of us, and the way in which the song has been written I think perfectly captures the emotions of the situation.
To listen to it initially is to notice these hopeful sounding chords and this rather optimistic melody line. There’s a joyful sound to the song, rather than a melancholy one, but then to listen intently to the words is to bring in that overwhelming feeling of loss and sadness, and this meeting of the high and the low is really just a stunning way to represent a life. The life described is one that was spent living and loving to the fullest, and what remains afterwards is the memory of this, the lasting feeling of love and support – and it’s something that can be passed on and shared and held close to your heart forever. In my opinion, the song expresses this sentiment beautifully.
Even without the background story, this song is a gorgeous example of acoustic Americana meets folk music – a wonderfully gentle and honest ballad of life and love and memories. There’s an undeniable element of the personal involved, but for the most part the song is likely to reach out and touch the hearts of anyone who can relate to what the artist has been through.
The music is lovely to listen to, the familiar sound of Tod Pronto’s voice brings everything we loved about the album back into our lives, and the song itself has been, as always, so very well written, and so openly and genuinely performed. It’s impossible to listen and not feel something. To listen with the accompanying video in particular really illuminates the honour and value of the song, as well as the hero about whom it was written. It’s the perfect way to draw attention to something as important as this. A beautiful, simplistic yet powerful piece of music, straight from the heart.
You can show your support by downloading the new single via iTunes or listening over at Apple Music. You can also click through and read our review of Tod Pronto’s earlier album release It Can’t All Be Wrong. Follow Tod Pronto on Facebook and Twitter, and head to his Website for more information.
