Nathalie King finds no solace Within A Dream on her newest single — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
There are songs which one can’t help but listen to for their infectious riff or groove. And there are others because you never know what’s around the corner. The latter is certainly the case for this lavishly produced single from German-born, Toronto-based trip-hop singer King. It’s a song which is equally unnerving and dreamy as King’s commanding voice works perfectly in tandem with the hushed trip-hop structure.
Within A Dream, written by King, features musicians Joseph Paris and John Snook providing cinematic soundscapes that could be mistaken for a song from a forthcoming James Bond film. Bringing to mind the work of Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, PJ Harvey and Björk, among others, Within A Dream has a suitably lulling feel at times while brimming with industrial-tinged tension and gravitas in others. This dichotomy provides the single with a beautiful blend of highs and lows, darkness and eventual light:
“Do you know what it feels like
Waking up in sweat all night?
Do you hear the screams?
Do you know how it feels?
Within a dream, within a dream
Wake up within a dream.”
The song’s tone mirrors the trauma of bullying, verbal and physical abuse King experienced growing up, hence the aptly titled EP PTSD. “PTSD is about the hurtful stuff I’ve gone through as a child, the stuff that affects you negatively as you grow up and the stuff that needs work on, to dig and reach deep down into the well of compassion and self-regulation of the nervous system,” King says. “I cried, I pondered, I felt anxiety, and I did it. Writing music plays an integral part in my life and is one of many outlets to heal trauma and grow out of it. PTSD is a looking glass at my childhood trauma, my journey through it and the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Within A Dream was co-produced, co-recorded and co-engineered by Paris and Snook. Anastasia Petrova mixed the song, which was mastered by Reuben Ghose. King says the song’s process started with her on piano and developing her vocal melody and lyrics before production commenced.
The single, the followup to her dynamic cut You, is another high-water mark for the singer, who grew up in Munich. King’s affinity for music began when she was nine years old and started playing saxophone. By 16 she was singing in a weekly class focusing on jazz and musical theater. A dream of learning musical theater in England morphed into filmmaking classes, then studying animation and acting in Vancouver. But then things took a downward spiral.
After surviving a nervous breakdown and other ailments (including a fractured tailbone), King says “an inner voice” or “female angel-like entity told me to do music” when she was at her lowest. Heeding that advice, King launched her career as a jazz singer in Toronto while performing songs that would be placed in TV shows and ads. In 2013, she released her debut album Odyssey. Since then, she’s had songs in The Fosters, Love Island Germany, Law and Order: Toronto, and the 2022 nature documentary Soul of the Ocean.
Check out Within A Dream above, listen to more from Nathalie King below, and catch up with her on her website, Facebook and Instagram.
