herbie the rabbit's "Burn The Witch" Review

All the people in the street are gazing in the same direction at the same time. Nobody says a word. There's someone you know in front of them and your feet just remain in place. That's where herbie the rabbit got me from his song “Burn the Witch.” I felt a tightness in my chest before the first minute was even over.

It begins with only the keys and Dan Marsh's vocals. He sounds like a man who's got something to get off his chest. The keys underneath stay simple. He delivers some words with real feeling, and I spent time sitting silently and listening. I waited for him to turn his head and look away from everything around him, but he never does.

After that, the chorus begins to take over and the voices start to rise until it becomes like everyone in the room saying the same thing. This song fits that feeling really well. The synths fill in the gaps between his lines – there isn't really much room to breathe. It would be easy to sing along with, and that's what makes it so striking to me. I believe this is what it's all about.

After that, the song recedes for a bit. Everything becomes still and light, and the song just seems to feel larger and more open. I liked that part. It allowed me to become aware of how much I was leaning into it. Then the guitars begin to arrive slowly at first, and they just keep coming closer.

At the conclusion, the guitars are in charge. They become louder and fuller, and Dan Marsh sings with a lot of feeling. Good. I wanted that. The song also begins to move more quickly. The producer, Jordan Lawlor, allows everything to come through clearly, while still keeping the natural feel of the performance. It hits hard. And when it's done, there are some questions left unanswered.

I have thought of that street ever since the song ended. Not the yelling, so much as the silence and how easy it was to simply stand there and do nothing. This song made me think about where my own feet would be. Sometimes I don't like what I think about when I think about that. But I keep going back to the song, because I can't pretend I was only there watching.