Premiere: Doriana Spurrell Shares New Single “Sunday”
New EP, Forward Out August 19th
Jul 21, 2022
Photography by Donavon Garret
Next month, Durham, NC-based singer/songwriter Doriana Spurrell is set to share her forthcoming debut EP, Forward. With Forward, Spurrell’s writing draws power from the smallest and most intimate of moments, tracing small stories that enlace into poetic meditations of life and meaning. Spurrell teased the record last month with its lead single, ““Never Needed Words,” a tribute to her late grandfather who passed away from Covid, and today she’s back with another new single, “Sunday,” premiering with Under the Radar.
“Sunday” takes a winding tour through intimate character portraits, portraying a family clinging together through hard times. Keening country guitar tones and pastoral waves of strings ripple through the track as Spurrell’s vocals bring to it a warm and wistful sheen. Spurrell sets the scene with the track’s opening lyricsー“Life is shifting / Rain is falling down / Kids are laughing / Mom is on the ground / Paper clutched in her hand.” The song’s comforting core comes later as Spurrell confesses, “I don’t know what to say / I don’t know what to do / But I love you.” The track feels almost nostalgic as it surveys a life full of both trials and warmth, holding the moments of stolen joy close like treasured memories.
Spurrell says of the track, “For ‘Sunday’, I took a folksy approach, wanting to tell a story. The inspiration came from growing up in the lower middle class; like many others, my family was affected by the 2008 recession, but during that time I had no clue what we were really going through thanks to my parents. I knew we weren’t rich, just by how different my home and things were compared to friends at the time. But I never felt poor; my parents never put that kind of pressure on me or my brother. Within reason, my parents did so much for us, even when they probably shouldn’t have. But that’s the thing, they never let it constrain the love they showed us. It was enough that we had this bond and love between each other. This song pushes that idea.
It’s a story I tell through a family struggling with bills, finding time for their kids, and more, but, even in the worst times there’s love. Overcoming adversity and keeping love for one another is such a powerful thing. There have been many times as a kid I felt like I wanted to help, but there was no way I could, aside from just loving my parents for what they did. It’s like a defeated cry, but in a way I think just showing appreciation and love is one of the most important jobs you can do.”
Check out the song early below and pre-save the track here. Forward is out everywhere on August 19th. You can also read Spurrell’s exclusive Q&A on the track below.
What is the story behind this song? Did something special prompt you to write it?
This song started with just one line, like all of my songs, which was the chorus: “I don’t know what to do, but I love you.” I had just finished watching the Italian movie “Bicycle Thieves” for a class I was in, and if you’re not familiar with the movie, it’s essentially about a father trying everything he can to get a job and support his family. By the end, it’s his son who has to comfort him. It got me thinking a lot about my family, and hardships we’ve gone through and are going through and how perhaps I could solve these issues. It seems like as a kid and just someone a part of a family, you have all this love and hope for your family, an instinct to save them and make things okay. Sometimes I feel like all I have to give is love, and I hope that’s enough.
We love to hear about the songwriting process. How did that go for this song?
Growing up in North Carolina, I’ve gained a big appreciation for the art of storytelling. It’s such a big tradition in the culture here and especially the music, folk in particular. After initially coming up with a base idea for this song, I decided to take a storytelling approach and paint a picture of a family, shifting between the struggles of the parents, and the somewhat oblivious nature of the children. As the children grow older, they become more aware of what their situation is regarding money, time, growing up, moving on —all of these “life things” which can be so stressful. But love — love is the motif in life. The chorus is my favorite part: “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to do, but I love you.” Having it repeat through the song was my way of showing how the idea of love repeats through life. No matter how much time passes, or how things change, love is like glue.
What do you think is the message of this song?
I think something I worry about a lot in life is that I’m not doing things correctly. Like I’m not setting myself up to be a successful functioning member of society, getting my things in order, saving money, figuring out who I want to be. But I think a lot of the time, striving to be perfect can take away from the simple pleasures of life, and it can separate people. I think it’s incredibly strong when a person is able to hold onto love and hope even during times of immense pressure. We’ve seen that a lot in this pandemic. Families unsure where their next meal will come from, those who have lost their jobs, their loved ones even.
This song is called “Sunday” because I always view that day as a reset, perhaps a calm before the storm. Sometimes I feel particularly anxious on Sundays, waiting for the next horrible thing to come about in the week. But it’s also a day to hope, to be together, and know that bad things and good things will happen, things you can’t control, but you can control your kindness and your ability to love. Life is messy and that’s normal. I think that’s what I wanted to establish in this song.
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