Music
Eden Ariel’s “Altars” Is an Ethereal Joyride Through New York City
04 Mar, 20
On Eden Ariel’s ethereal and magnetic debut EP, Altars, the 22-year-old budding indie star reflects on life in New York City with unassuming wisdom beyond her years.
Photo by Emma Noelle
She yearns for brief moments of escape from the merciless confines of city living (full disclosure: Ariel also contributes to Popdust). New York is an all-consuming existence, and Ariel acknowledges wholeheartedly that she is sometimes at its mercy. A seemingly toxic relationship causes her to believe that she is a self-sabotaging “demon” (“If the Butterfly Dreamed Me”), but then over sweeping strings, she starts to question whether she even loved this person for who they truly were, or if anything is even real at all. Was she even present in these moments that now consume her thoughts? Are we ever-present in anything? The hustle and bustle of city-dwelling is suffocating and rarely allows room for Ariel to reflect and answer these kinds of questions. As such, “If the Butterfly” feels like an emotional collapse happening in real-time, with its conclusion inevitably leading of course, to more questions, (“Nothing is as it seems…did I dream it, or did it dream me?”).
Although Ariel, while within the city limits, is consumed by love, pain, and fear, Altars truly shines when the singer is able to finally escape to some peace and quiet. “We took the train all the way out of my head,” she croons hopefully on “Far Rockaway, over lo-fi electric guitars. “I caught a glimpse of life beyond the lines.” Ariel’s soaring vocals gently carry us along in the singer’s warm ethos. Wouldn’t it be nice to forget our names for a moment, and sit with our friend Eden along the “lights of the river?” On “Altars,” she sings, “All this rain can’t last forever,” with an equal amount of somberness and reassurance. As Eden Ariel walks along the nighttime shores of Far Rockaway or Coney Island, she is comforted by the fact that all things end as they began, that everything is cyclical even in the city that never sleeps, and that there is so much comfort to be found in that.
Altars
Check Out Eden Ariel on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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