In her new single "Floating TV," Natalie Holmes dips you into a tender, shimmering daydream of contradictions. The song basks inside a space where real and make-believe collide, between the humdrum world and the aching pull for something freer. "Floating TV" is the musical equivalent of looking out a rainy window and imagining a technicolor sky. Holmes presses into the dissonance between being where she is and wanting to be somewhere else, and lets this tension both determine the contours of the lyrics and the sonic texture of the song.
It's the push and pull of comfort and craving that makes the track so emotionally rich. Light instruments make space for subtle exceptions to pop. It's these little, considered touches that work to add humanity and heart to the more airy elements of the track, little injections of warmth and charm. This simplicity has an almost shockingly wide sense of possibility, the freedom that can make a listener believe that anything is possible. Holmes's voice sounds as sweet as ever here, with lies floating above the dreamy arrangement, marked by the same absence of effort. There's a quiet confidence in her delivery, as she already knows what she's pursuing, even if she hasn't quite arrived yet. The end product is a song that walks the line between reality and fantasy, celebrating the space in between.
"Floating TV" draws you in very gently. And by the end, you're not simply listening to Holmes's dreams, you're experiencing them as well. It's a song for the daydreamers and the drifters and anyone who has ever caught themselves staring at a screen, wondering if there might be something out there for them. Natalie Holmes has always been adept at penning quiet, contemplative music. Still, there's an argument to be made that "Floating TV" is her most liberating work yet, a floaty, strangely grounded track for pursuing happiness in the in-between.