marine eyes – "to belong"

"to belong" by Marine Eyes is about the multiple layers of feelings and relationships. The album is light and elegantly simple. The music is relaxed and full of a pleasant sense of safety and calm—it's the perfect record for some reflecting me-time. Make sure to mark the release day in your calendars: April 17th, 2024! The pre-order is live and you can already listen to six of the 16 songs today! I've added them for you below this article.

In the songs, Cynthia Bernard uses a text from her journal, with which she noted the album's topic down for the first time:

"i set out with my own
puzzle pieces, my own
cracked pottery and
created a patchwork sky

these are all parts which
teach me belonging
is everywhere and nowhere"

On her first two albums, you could already hear and feel a strong empathy in the artist's music. This impression is even more noticeable in "to belong". This is likely due to Cynthia's meditative method. The delicate nuances of human connections and the emotional world that arises from them are always present.

Journaling as a creativy source

Cynthia already expressed her love for journaling and documentation in 2022 with "chamomile." Therefore, "to belong" can be considered a kind of sequel. The musician once again used guitars, synths, and her voice to set her story to music. Field recordings of the voices of her friends and family members lend the songs a pleasantly personal touch.

There are 16 short pieces on "to belong". They nestle together and are inextricably linked. Right from the start, you feel like entering a relaxed and compassionate world—it doesn't leave you until the record's last chord.

marine eyes has woven her textures and sounds together so softly that it's easy to settle into them for 50 minutes and block out the world for the duration. The overall scenery is very natural, including birdsong and campfires on the beach.

Cynthia Bernard creates her songs based on her personal experiences. She manages to name them and reflect on them, which leads to something magical happening: she also manages to provide her listeners with an opportunity to let go of thoughts and accept things. Fragility is beautiful, and belonging is precious.

The healing power of music

I have already introduced you to marine eyes, aka Cynthia Bernard, on Sounds Vegan. She is part of the Past Inside The Present collective and also makes music with her partner, James. She skilfully combines ambient, shoegaze, drone, field recordings, and dream pop with her meditative lyrics to create dreamlike works of art.

The Los Angeles-based artist has been fascinated by music since her childhood. When her grandmother suffered a stroke and lost the ability to express herself through words, she started researching and experimenting with music as a form of therapy.

For many years, she shared her music only with close friends and family. When she met her James in 2014, the two started their project, awakened souls, and began recording music together. In 2021, she released her first solo album, "idyll," followed by "chamomile," in 2022.

Cynthia continues to draw her ideas from nature, exploring the healing effects of sound in ever greater depth.