We recently discussed Wyldest’s tender reworking of previously released single ‘Alive’ which is set to feature on the band’s entirely reimagined album, Redream Chaos. It’s a mighty endeavor to take your own work to a new space and yet Zoe Mead proves herself up to the challenge once again with a “redream” of ‘Quiet Violet’. While the delicate piano version has a soothing effect on the listener, one shouldn’t miss the song’s internal story. It’s one of falling prey to societal pressures only to one day to wake to a life that’s not wholly yours with a trail of broken promises of unfilled dreams behind you. As songwriter Mead states: “We can all fall into the trap, settling for a life we are not 100% happy in, for the sake of security and expectations of others, with it, giving up on the many things that we truly desire in favour of living in a state of denial. We eventually become enlightened by others, repeatedly being subjected to the temptation of breaking free. The question is whether we are ever brave enough to do so." This stripped back recording adds new meaning to ‘Quiet Violet’; that courage isn’t always on the surface, but rather rages just beneath, ready for us to tap into, only if we give ourselves the chance. - Hannah Thacker [Photo credit: Laurie Barraclough]