Synth Single Review: Heart First by Saturday AM

Review by Karl Magi

Saturday AM’s Heart First conveys a message of self-discovery, resilience and hope. The song starts as ultra-crisp, clean drums throb and a strong guitar with a wide-open tone dances. Aaron Boyd's rich, smooth vocals wrap around me with warming, hopeful energy as they carry the main melody.

The guitar rings out with brightness as the chorus rises with encouragement and joy. Now the drums rebound and Aaron Boyd captures all of the celebratory, expansive emotion implicit in the lyrics. The chorus moves while the explosive guitar and the powerfully pounding drums propel the music. Now the guitar unfurls with gem-like clarity, flickering with a melody that exudes optimism.

The song slips into a segment in which a flickering synth spins out before the chorus rises, lifting my heart with its message. Now Matt Freeland’s guitar sails out in a graceful solo, capturing tenderness and affection, as the drums pound. A glimmering synth flashes with radiance before the song comes to an end.

The storyteller tells the listener to "put your heart first and see what's buried underneath" with all of the fear, doubt, light and sound. He reminds us to "hear that voice echoing, telling you to dare to dream" and tells the audience that he'll wait for them like the sea.

Our narrator points out that inside all of us, there is a story of "all we are, all we've become." He adds that in all of us, there's also "a shadow of a dream that's only just begun." He says that we should listen for a faint voice and "be still and listen close" as it whispers that we should "come follow me, put your heart first and see."