Rhode Island folky five-piece Ralph Waldo recorded single “Zion Hill” with the rest of their forthcoming EP. Tyler Perry (acoustic guitar, vox, lyrics) wrote the song in December of 2018, coming from a place of anxiety and depression. After sitting on the song for over a year and with the help of Elio DeLuca of The Soul Shop recording studio in Medford, Ralph Waldo has decided to release “Zion Hill” during a time when people from all walks of life are living that very same anxiety-ridden uncertainty.
Perry shared that recording the track was like opening a time capsule, transporting him back to the mindset and feelings of that winter. With friends contributing strings, steel guitar, and other complementary tracks, they recorded over a few days in a dark vaudeville-esque room run by The Low Anthem, above the historic Columbus Theater in Providence.
The recording itself incorporates a sense of place, picking up the old room’s vibrations and echoing sounds from the street that were deliberately preserved. “Zion Hill” captures a fleeting moment of sonic beauty as Ralph Waldo formally introduces itself.
Starting with a sense of urgency in a strumming guitar, a calm and simple refrain lulls you in, to be repeated and remembered. Songwriter Perry created a story that pulls the listeners into a reverie of wonder. The story reflects his writing process, which starts with a guitar riff, then mumbles flow into eventual words. There’s intentionality to the layered metaphors and lyrics, but that experience of reflection belongs to the listener.
The strings rise and fall, giving the lyrics that extra emotional punch as the arrangement culminates and recedes into the bridge: “Seems a certain type of sad in here / To get us feeling so down / Meet me on the steps of Zion Hill / Throw our weight around.” Melancholia paints softly sung sentiments, exploring a familiar state that hits the core right now. It’s one of those tunes that you’ll subconsciously find yourself humming, fitting the mood of our May, gray rainy days but leaving you with an uplifting spirit of hope.
Listen to “Zion Hill” below via bandcamp.