We spend a lot of time at Get Some Magazine covering music that rattles your speakers, shakes the walls, and leaves your ears ringing. But every once in a while, something comes along that makes us appreciate the quieter side of things. Enter Patrick Avalon and his beautifully atmospheric four-track EP, the water in stone. Built around delicate piano arrangements, haunting ambiance, and subtle vocal textures, Avalon takes us somewhere far removed from the noise of everyday life. It's a deeply personal, cinematic listening experience that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a journey through the mind's changing seasons.
“the ache of peace” opens Patrick Avalon’s the water in stone, offering something a little different from what we typically feature on GSM. Built around delicate piano melodies and subtle atmospheric sound design, the track creates a beautiful sense of existential bliss.
The music carries a quiet sadness, evoking gentle rain falling over the forests surrounding Los Angeles beneath a gloomy sky. The piano is beautifully played, never overpowering the ambiance, with each note blending effortlessly into the atmosphere.
Peaceful, beautifully arranged, and wonderfully understated, “the ache of peace” proves that sometimes less really is more.
“light in darkness” carries on the EP’s somber atmosphere, serving as a gorgeous extension of its opening track. If “the ache of peace” felt like the ascent up a stormy mountain, this one feels like the descent, with Avalon maintaining that same haunting sense of stillness. His distant, humming vocals drift through the arrangement like an echo lost in the fog, adding another layer to the track’s eerie beauty. Dark, cinematic, and deeply atmospheric, “light in darkness” feels like it belongs on a film soundtrack.
Track three, “the sea and I,” brings a welcome sense of warmth to the EP. It feels like the moment sunlight finally breaks through the clouds after a long storm. It’s not necessarily cheerful, but the music weaves in a quiet sense of hope, as if Avalon is gently reminding us that everything is going to be alright. The storm is passing, the skies are clearing, and brighter days are finally within reach.
“in esse” brings the EP to a calm and reflective close, revisiting the somber atmosphere of its opening tracks while carrying a subtle sense of hope from “the sea and I.” The arrangement feels familiar, but rather than being repetitive, it offers a satisfying sense of closure, as though we've finally made it through the storm.
Avalon’s drawn-out vocals drift through the background like a distant memory, while the delicate piano remains the centerpiece, just as it has throughout the EP. Haunting yet comforting, “in esse” is a beautifully understated conclusion that leaves you feeling a little more at peace than when the journey began.
With the water in stone, Patrick Avalon has created something truly special. Across four beautifully crafted tracks, he takes listeners on a journey through sadness, solitude, and ultimately, a sense of hope. There's nothing flashy or overproduced here, just gorgeous piano arrangements, haunting atmospheres, and an incredible ability to tell a story without saying much at all. It's the kind of record best enjoyed on a rainy afternoon, away from everyday noise. A refreshing change of pace for GSM, and a reminder that sometimes the most powerful music is also the quietest.
