Award winning Texas songwriter Ezra Vancil’s just released his latest single Island, a song that stands as a testament to earned peace. Island which serves as the second release from his ambitious double album “Morning and Midnight” and the first glimpse into the morning side, Island provides a necessary and beautiful exhale following the emotional wreckage of it’s predecessor “Babylove”
Island belongs to the morning half of the album. The midnight songs are about loss and breaking apart. The mornings are about waking up to life again. Island happens to be the first big breath you take when everything finally falls to place. It is the feeling of realizing that you made it through the hard times and now you can fully live again.
Island floats into a feeling of sunshine and calm, a reflection of the peace that came after years of putting his love and family back together. This is a very personal song but easily relatable to anyone who listens.
Vancil wrote this song a few years after he and his wife got back together following a divorce and many difficult years. The song comes from the quiet and peace that followed the years of struggle. It’s about how time keeps moving, even when things finally feel right.
One notable moment that sparked the song was a simple trip he took to the beach with his family. They spent a night in a hotel by the ocean and it was the perfect memory – sand, laughter and sunshine. Vancil wrote this song because he wanted to hold on to the memory of that moment. The feeling from that experience became the very inspiration behind this track. He calls it the Calm after the storm.
The music of Island mixes down to earth storytelling (Folk) with a bright, shining sound (Indie). Vancil is a fan of music that is honest and hopeful and this reflects in his music.
His soothing voice provides the main, simple story sound and with TY Richard’s guitar, there’s an addition of a beautiful, ocean like shimmer which makes the song light and airy.
Ezra Vancil’s daughter, Cozi Vancil who featured in the song sings the background harmonies, making the song feel more personal and about family. The bass and the drums keep a gentle, steady beat like a quiet wave.
Island was recorded in a simple cabin deep in the woods of East Texas. He wanted the recording to feel alive and real, not perfect but real. He tried a style of recording where he did not make use of headphones, so the sound of the room and even the air got into the track. This had a way of making the song feel so close to the heart, choosing the “alive” feeling over technical perfection.
Island is the first, deep breath you take when everything finally settles down. It is the feeling of realizing you made it through the hard times, and now you get to live fully again. The main message of the double album and especially this song is simple; Love can be reborn even after it is broken. And while life doesn’t stop for anyone, sometimes it gives us enough beauty to keep believing.
Island is hope. It’s a reminder that peace can find you again. When you feel that moment of stillness, pay attention to it.
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