Gabby’s World – “Winter, Withdraw”

Brian Vu

Gabby’s World – “Winter, Withdraw”

Brian Vu

Although complex and rewarding in its own right, the music Gabrielle Smith made as Eskimeaux and Ó did not prepare me for the grand scope of her Gabby’s World material. Smith’s first single under the new guise, “Rear View,” burst from the speakers with a rare vibrance. It was an ornate little symphony of a pop song — so many sounds swirling around Smith’s delicate diction, all of them brimming with life. I loved it immediately.

Now comes “Winter, Withdraw,” the opening track from the new album Beast On Beast, and I love this one too. It’s a bit less immediate than “Rear View,” opening with just Smith and some minimal chords — “At the black center of my thoughts, I plead / “Winter, withdraw” / And I decide / I boldly no longer feel the deep cold” — but over the course of several surprising turns, it works its way into a full-bodied rock epic. Or as Smith put it on Twitter, “It’s a gargantuan rock opera with a big huge finale that is probably my favorite moment we’ve had as a band.” By the end, power chords are raining down and symphonic strings are soaring across the sky.

What I’m saying is Gabby’s World is a place I quite enjoy visiting, and maybe you will too. Try it out below.

Beast On Beast is out 11/2 via Yellow K Records. Pre-order it here.

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