Review by Abby Kenna
“Los Angeles” by Sonja Midtune is a dance of fluttering melodies and sweeping guitars, the mosaic charm of the city radiating through the shimmering arrangement. Grounded and floating at the same time, Midtune has composed a beautifully narrative song.
“Los Angeles” opens into a colorfully textured soundscape, a faraway glimmer of synths weaving between the resonant bass and bright melodies. As the verse begins, the bright arrangement melts away, leaving space for the spirited vocals that drift into the limelight. Sonja Midtune has the type of voice you can hear a smile within, a voice that tells a story without using words. The vulnerability within her rich, yet agile tone paints the picture of “Los Angeles” with ease, aided by her skillful lyricism.
Exploring a relationship through the brilliant lens of the city of Los Angeles, Midtune’s lyricism bursts with vivid imagery and clever metaphors. With the use of such expressive poetic language, listeners can already picture this man she sings of by the end of the first line. We know his compassion, his patience, and his love for her, all detailed with grace through this striking extended metaphor:
“His heart is as big as Los Angeles
With millions of people inside…
‘Cause he is as deep as the ocean
And I am his Hollywood sign”
Extending the metaphorical mastery, Sonja Midtune additionally incorporates the picturesque, complex nature of the city within her lush instrumentation. The twinkling synths and guitars glitter over the top of the mix like the lights of the city at night, floating above the warmth of the wandering bass. Each element of “Los Angeles” breathes life into the song, the lyrics, and arrangement equally supporting the air of longing as Midtune wonders:
“In the city of dreams
Am I enough?”
Sonja Midtune’s “Los Angeles” is an undeniable work of art. Weaving picturesque melodies and metaphorical lyricism, Midtune writes with the intentional grace of a painter mixing colors on a canvas, her new song blossoming with vivid beauty.
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About Sonja Midtune
Sonja Midtune is an artist and songwriter from Minnesota located in Los Angeles. She received her BA in Music Theory and Composition at St. Olaf College in MN with additional training from The European American Musical Alliance at La Schola Cantorum, a Juilliard affiliated program taught by their grad professors.
Sonja writes all her original music. She is known for her poignant lyrics and storytelling, with an organic sound that incorporates her composition skills. She's played all over the Los Angeles area including venues such as the main stage at the Hotel Cafe, a 9-month residency Bar Lubitsch, Vibrato Jazz Club in Beverly Hills, The Viper Room, The Bootleg Theatre, etc.
Sonja teaches Songwriting levels 1 and 2 at Cal Poly Pomona and Intro to Songwriting at Mount Saint Mary's University. Her new 4-song EP "Dreams Melt Away" will be released April 2nd, 2021
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