As we get closer to the light at the end of this tunnel we’ve all been stuck in for the past year, it’s been interesting to reflect on the time spent closed off from much of the world. For a lot of people, that meant being secluded with their significant other all day, every day. The strain that kind of constant proximity can put on people is very real and an issue that likely contributed to the disintegration of relationships. For others, it might have been a way to bring two people closer together as they learn to co-exist and accept one another, warts and all.

Molehill, a band I have long admired but haven’t written about since February 2019, find themselves on the latter side of things. With “Snow Baby,” Peter Manhart turns his personal story of sequestration into an ode of love persevering (and I assume the song was written before Vision made us all cry with his own words on love persevering). For Manhart, 2020 was a time to slow down, take in all that life has laid before him, and be thankful. It’s a sweet, beautiful song that gives a positive spin where there has been so much negativity.

This track finds Molehill working in some new space. It’s slow and soft, like the snowfall Manhart sings about in the chorus. It stands in stark contrast to the heavy guitar-led rock that I would normally associate with the band. And yet, they do it in a lovely way. There are synths mixed in with the piano to give the song an interesting texture, and the vocals don’t have anything to compete with, so you can feel every lyric as Peter sings. A departure from their usual, but it is still comfortably in their wheelhouse.

The video, shot by Greg Van Zuiden, reminds me a bit of the Sinead O’Connor video for “Nothing Compares 2 U”. The camera just stays focused on Peter’s face, with the color alternating normal to black and white. It’s a seemingly simple, but effective clip that easily communicates the isolation we’ve all been enduring.

If you dig the song, you can pick it up in a lossless format from their site, along with a 10×10 print of the artwork. Just click here to spend some of that stimmy supporting independent music.