KEXP has premiered a new song today by The Barr Brothers called “Even the Darkness Has Arms” from their upcoming release, Sleeping Operator. They were playing this song live on their pre-studio tours so it’s nice to hear the final version as it was laid down in the studio.
“If you ever woke up in a bed without somebody, and you didn’t know the bed or the room or the city, this song might be for you,” says guitarist and vocalist Brad Barr of the new song we’re premiering today by The Barr Brothers. Any discomfort, though, is less than temporary. “Even the Darkness Has Arms” is an immediate joy, from the light fingerpicking of its opening, to Brad Barr’s gently assuring vocal delivery, the pitter-patter of brother Andrew Barr’s percussion, and the serene atmospherics of Andrés Vial’s pump organ. While Sarah Page lacks the harp she favors on The Barr Brothers’ stunning self-titled 2011 debut, her guitar picking here is just as celestially ebullient. In all its widening warmth, “Even the Darkness Has Arms” feels like a comforting embrace.
Comforting, indeed.
