After a 7 year hiatus, Bethany Weimers has released a new single, Circles, and we’ve been taking a listen here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today.
Oxford, UK, based Weimers, has taken a temporary break from her music career and we’re happy to have her back. From the lyrics of her song, it sounds as if the reason for the hiatus was the birth of a child and all of the responsibilities that brings. Circles is about the cyclical nature of human behaviour stretching across time. It’s about the wonderment of generations and the circles that occur throughout life.
Circles starts with some very gentle cinematic piano. In places the piano doubles up and you are treated to some masterful playing by Weimers, especially later into the song where some high piano riffs fill the gaps between the vocal lines.
After a couple of minutes or so of piano and vocals, some strings are added and you suddenly realise that for such sparse instrumentation, there really is a lot happening in the song, and there’s a great deal to listen to at any given time.
Backing harmonies are present in some places and are pitch shifted from the lead vocal so as to be in perfect time with the lead and fill out the sound very effectively.
Whilst the piano playing is superb, the focus of the track is Bethany’s voice. Her vocals are clear and breathy and with some wonderful control in her head voice, reminiscent of early Kate Bush. In places, the lead vocal is just a little fragile, which makes it even more endearing.
The repeated “we are circles” line makes the listener feel comfortable and serves to familiarise you. It makes you feel at home and at no point does it feel repetitive. It serves to draw you in and make you a part of the experience.
Bethany’s music has been heard on radio stations such 6 Music, Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing Oxford. She has also toured in both the UK and Europe. Bethany has a
Masters in Composition from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and combines her music career with work as a voice director working with some of the UK’s top voice over actors.
From a production perspective, we feel that the track would benefit from a wide boost centred around 5kHz, with a small dip out around 11-12kHz to avoid boosting too much sibilance in the vocals. There is also a peaking frequency in the piano at 456Hz which we’d suggest notching out.
We’re happy to hear that Bethany Weimers is creating music again after a hiatus. Circles is a promising return to centre stage and we’re excited to hear where her music takes her next.