Hannah Campbell – For The Kids

Indie songwriter Hannah Campbell hits us where it hurts with her latest single ‘For The Kids’, a song that taps into the collective experience of isolation and longing to be with loved ones that so many of us have experienced this year.

The intro sets a sad tone from the very start, as a rainfall sound evokes tears and a haunting melancholy, emotions which are only exacerbated by Hannah’s soft, airy vocals. The chorus, which is purely beautiful, then pushes this track into new territory, as a Christmas song with a difference: ‘Could you bring me home (x4)… In time for Christmas dawn?’. This resonates with me as a fear for my own Christmas – the need to organise tests so I can leave university, and the fear of testing positive; which could therefore mean that I can’t go home.

Post-chorus too, sonically the emotions become almost overwhelming, with Hannah’s multi-toned vocals, a rousing synth and an acoustic guitar combining, although as she says herself, this was perhaps intentional. “I wrote this song a couple of years ago, and never felt ready to release it because it holds so much intense emotion in it. But I feel like I need this song now more than ever, so maybe other people do too. This song talks about missing that feeling of magic and closeness and wonder that I felt around this time of year as a kid. I might not get to be with my family for the festive season, and I haven’t seen them since March, so to go home for the holidays is all I want, it would actually be the perfect gift.”

Ryan Powell