FOLLow Gary Dranow viA:
“Floating Away,” Gary Dranow’s latest single marks a touching musical tribute to the power of friendship. His collaboration with The Manic Emotions results in a poignant folk-rock ballad that recounts a serendipitous reunion between the singer-songwriter and his old friend Harold.
Propelled by steady acoustic guitar and piano, “Floating Away” unfolds like a bittersweet memory. Dranow’s gentle vocals sing of a chance encounter at a local bagel shop, where he and Harold found themselves reunited after 10 years. As the melody blossoms into the choruses, the emotions swell – there is a glimmer of long-lost camaraderie as the two men trade stories over coffee. Yet a wistful sadness undercuts the warmth, hinted at in lyrics alluding to Harold’s grief over his late fiancée.
Dranow captures the complicated nostalgia of reunions – the comfort of falling back into old rhythms with someone who knows your history, yet also seeing the toll time has taken. Friends separated by miles and silences attempt to bridge the gaps even as some wounds remain open. Throughout the song, there is a sense of lives not quite lining up, each following different currents until fortune intervenes.
The collaboration with The Manic Emotions proves symbiotic, bolstering Dranow’s narrative songwriting with nuanced musical arrangements. Chris Zoupa’s guitar work adds folky texture while Jason Jones’ harmonies and production smartly frame the vocals. The result is a full, organic sound that amplifies the emotional resonance at the heart of the song.
“Floating Away” succeeds in translating a personal experience into a universal narrative. Listeners will recognize their own memories of relationships that have drifted only to be re-anchored unexpectedly. Like the best story-songs in the folk tradition, this single will linger poignantly in the mind long after the last chord fades.
