This week Carmel Mikol released her first single since her 2017 album, Daughter of a Working Man. Taking a strong shift away from her singer-songwriter stylings and into leaning into a far more modern synth-pop sound, “When It’s Time To Go” heralds a new direction for Mikol’s upcoming EP, The Ice, but leaves us asking more questions than it answers.
Taking an abstract minimalist approach to both the song’s lyrics and the video created by Abracazebra Productions “When It’s Time To Go” leaves room for an ocean of interpretation.
“The ice she knows when it’s time to go, but I don’t,” Mikol admits in the official release, but in the great new trend of modern synth-pop, she keeps it vague; leaving no hints as to the song’s literal meaning.
Mikol’s lyrics allude to the inevitable end to a relationship that has already passed its expiry date. Something or someone has overstayed its allotted duration and, if it safely falls along the likes of the vast majority of music in the world, we’re probably referring to a lover who just doesn’t quite fit the big picture.
Probably.
Then again, given the context we’re provided from the video, maybe it’s time we bid farewell to the human civilization. As Mikol sings, “The ice she knows when it’s time to go, but I don’t.” Given the likelihood that our fate is solidly intertwined with that of the icecaps, maybe this is a call to arms to save our planet. That, or fatalistic swan song.
Or, perhaps, Mikol is singing about the release of the album itself. The Ice, after all, was expected to see release sometime earlier this winter. Not every project happily leaves the nest. No doubt, with the release of this single, we will find out soon enough.
Tour Dates:
05.03.19 – Charlottetown, PE @ ECMAs – PEI Brewing Company
08.10.19 – Ponds, NS @ Blacktop Ball