Fear can be a difficult emotion to control. At one point or another, nearly everyone has experienced overwhelming fear: the kind that seems to occupy a massive space within their mind and makes their inner voice feel feeble and insignificant. This fear is the kind that can stick with a person, that exerts control over their life, personality, and wellbeing. It’s a powerful force that’s often unrecognized and invisible, and it’s present throughout “Broken Dog”, the first track off an upcoming EP by Atlanta-based folk musician A. Vos.
From the song’s opening notes, Vos’s gently strummed guitar and distraught baritone voice seem to occupy a space much larger than themselves. Minor guitar chords, distant forlorn synths, and lyrical themes of anxiety and helplessness are joined by a vast sense of emptiness. In drawing from the negative space in “Broken Dog”, Vos is able to tangibly convey the fear that pervades the song’s lyrics. This presence (or lack thereof) greatly amplifies the haunting beauty of the track’s often sparse arrangements and ultimately likens both the instrumentation and vocals to an oppressed inner voice.
Despite the omnipresent fear in “Broken Dog”, A. Vos doesn’t allow that inner voice to be silenced. The track builds slowly and steadily over its three-and-half-minute runtime, adding drums, layered falsetto, and an array of backing instrumentation. While subtle, these additions perfectly compliment the increasing urgency in Vos’s vocals, which grow in prominence and passion as “Broken Dog” reaches its conclusion. The final segment instills a feeling of hope, one in which the inner voice does its best to put up a fight. In the last seconds, though, “Broken Dog” returns to the same sparse, somber guitar found in its opening and the sense of emptiness is again present. Is fear something that can be fought? A. Vos leaves it up to you.
Listen to "Broken Dog" on Spotify:
