Both Spill Tab and Aaron Taos featured on these pages in quick succession in February 2019. I’d like to think that I personally brought them together, because on Loneliness Pt. II they have collaborated to make something just a little bit wonderful.
Loneliness Pt. II is a little more grounded and straight up than what I have heard from either artist before, but it really gives them both the space to shine. The song opens with a traditional melodic progression, Aaron’s vocal wrapped in reverb, giving a sense of music played to darkened rooms in a way that reminds me of dark nights searching for hope in The Roadhouse. Claire from Spill Tab lends her vocals to create a duet, and instantly turns Loneliness Pt. II in something that feels earthy and human, two star-cross’d lovers facing off against the world.
The gently played instrumentation forms the perfect home for the bruised vocal duet that Spill Tab and Taos have created, before a heart-breaking guitar riff eventually plays the role of some unknowable choas, consuming them both in darkness, amidst percussion that sounds like gun shots.
Loneliness Pt. II is a follow up to a song Taos originally made in response to a bout of depression, a tribute to the at-the-time girlfriend who saw him through the period. Having long wanted to recreate the song as a duet, Taos found the found he was looking for when he heard Spill Tab’s Calvaire. He reached out to her to ask if she would be interested in a duet, and as he explains, she said she was:
“I’m honored that she was and then when I finally heard what she had written I was blown away. Her vocals are so beautiful and haunting and in my opinion add a really unique perspective/vibe to one of my favorite songs I've ever written.”