Marine Eyes : Quiet Circle

I think we all carry something from our childhood into our adulthood. A simple thought, or a snippet of a dream that we never quite let go. It’s not something an adult mind would come up with. It only comes from the unsilenced imagination of a child. Something only a mind not completely bogged down from the reality of the adult world. A mind unencumbered by everyday worries, and still free to ponder the “what if?” without shutting it down because it just doesn’t make sense.

When I was younger I had a recurring dream that at one point there was a hallway and bedroom in my parents home that was closed off. A wall built over the entranceway, locking in everything that was left. In the dream I saw this space before it was closed off from reality and entrance. Old toys, blankets, and even ancient shag carpet that was there when the house was first built. I had even asked my parents what happened to that room, and why it was blocked off. My dad just looked at me like I was crazy. It was indeed a dream, as physics would prove this “secret space” impossible. But it felt real.

Composer and musician Cynthia Bernard, aka Marine Eyes, has based her newest EP on a similar childhood thought. Quiet Circle comes from a thought Bernard had when she was younger, growing up in the Bay area:

“when i was growing up, i used to drive past a street called quiet circle every day — a long, tucked-away driveway at the base of mount diablo in the bay area. i remember wondering as a kid if it was actually quieter there. that small thought stuck with me over the years, and in its own way, shaped how i came to value stillness and softness in life.

this ep is dedicated to just that — carving out space for our own quiet circles. music is one of the ways i find mine.“

Marine Eyes makes captivatingly and slow moving music that feels like slow thought rising on a warm, summer day. A peaceful retreat from the white noise of life. Bernard captures intimate moments of thoughtful contemplation. Quiet Circle is all of that and more, as it comes from a place of childhood thoughtfulness, which gives this 6-track EP a kind of wistful nostalgia.

“searching” leads us into this journey. A hazy, sleepy optimism emanates from this gorgeous track. If you close your eyes you can almost see from the point of view of a child sitting in the backseat of a car. Eyes inches above the window line and taking in the big world on the other side of the glass. “quiet circle” comes in gauzy swaths of ambient textures and thoughtful introspection, like ghostly sounds echoing in your ears just at the brink of sleep. It’s immersive and almost hallucinatory in its sunlit brilliance.

Elsewhere “long horizon” begins in whispered sound but opens like a Pacific sunrise. Loping sonic bliss and distant ethereal sound that could be electronics or Cynthia Bernard’s shimmering, ghostly vocals layered in cavernous reverb. “a clearing” is short but sweet as cascading notes build a bridge to “vasquez lullaby”. A hauntingly beautiful track, built around clouds of effected electronics and Bernard’s lush vocal accompaniment. “linen sheets” closes this beautiful music journey on sparse but perfect composition.

Marine Eyes’ thoughtful and nostalgic Quiet Circle is another stunning addition to Cynthia Bernard’s discography. A musical journey built around a child’s unencumbered mind, seen to fruition through sound and emotion.