Synth Single Review: “Not Alone’’ by Fonz Tramontano & Calida J

Fonz Tramontano & Calida J’s Not Alone is a meditation on life’s difficulties and maintaining hope. Tremulous, broadly spreading tones join rapidly tumbling percussion to create tension and ache as the chiming synth carries the melody with mingled tragedy and lingering hope. Calida J’s emotive voice delivers the meaningful, compelling lyrics with conviction as the bass pulse and bursting drums press on. Her voice has a throaty depth that transports the lyrics directly to my soul.

Vibrating notes with slicing edges contrast with diamond chimes while the drum beat bursts. The vocals drift with touching sensations while the rushing foundation growls, and Calida J embraces the hurt in the lyrics as the twitching synth creates an unsettled counterpoint. Brilliant notes wash through the music as the vocals fill with encouragement, changing the tone before the song fades into silence.

With a "face of steel, heart of stone," the main character has icy blood as a result of an unhappy home. She will "build the walls high and flood the moat" as she stands with her palms upturned and transforms ice into fire, letting it burn. The storyteller adds, "find the cracks and bring a boat. I know you feel alone."

In the chorus, the narrator says, "If you feel uncomfortable, you know you're not alone. I want to see you vulnerable; you know you're not alone." The main character was once a child who wore her heart on her sleeve, but "lessons learned, now they're not so naïve."

Our main character must "face the rain clouds and walk the streets." Now that her father's gone, she's lost her dreams, and it's "Momma’s fault there was no sweet 16." When someone brings her shelter, he also brings her peace, but the storyteller says, "I know you feel alone." She adds reassurance as she says, "When the wolves cry at your door; you know you're not alone."