M. Rumbi’s final release of the year, From the Other Side featuring N’Jiru, is a wistful blend of indie and soft pop-rock that feels like it was made for slow, gray, drizzly mornings. Stripped back to just an acoustic guitar played beautifully by Dave Strucken, the song captures the ache of longing for love in the simplest, most vulnerable way.
Melancholy takes center stage. N'Jiru's ethereal, echo-laden vocals intertwine with M. Rumbi's in a way that underscores the aching isolation at the heart of the song. The production amplifies the sensation of being an outsider looking in, with the vocal interplay creating a haunting effect of distance and detachment.
Lyrically, the track is a meditation on unfulfilled love, perfectly encapsulated in the line, “It’s news to me that there is love as far as the eye can see.” This sentiment feels especially sharp in the context of its late-December release, evoking the bittersweet melancholy of lonely Christmases, ones where the warmth of connection is observed but not felt.
From the Other Side, with its acoustic simplicity is a perfect ode to yearning, and to the quiet moments spent wondering what love might feel like.