My favorite kind of songwriting finds the balance of feeling incredibly personal and still being relatable to the listener. There’s a certain magic in hearing a story that’s not yours moving you so deeply, allowing you to find words for your own experiences through them. David Ost mastered this perfectly in his song "Ants" which you might have already discovered on the blog earlier this year when the full version was released. Last Friday he followed up with a stunning acoustic version of the track that leaves more space for the heartbreaking story behind the song.

"Ants" is a song about a friendship broken by depression, it speaks of the pain of seeing someone you love being changed and losing themselves in their own darkness. "And in my head I see you dying on repeat/scared like you so I can feel closer to your pain/ the ants will come for you until you’re strange to me". The story is told with beautiful imagery, that picks up on the mundane things that connect us. It speaks to the friend that’s on a destructive path, and even though the lyrics speak of tragedy there’s a lot of love between the lines. In David Ost's words "It's supposed to remind ourselves how damn hard yet important it is to speak about what's going on inside of each of us."

Musically the acoustic version has a more intimate feeling compared to the original version that had a full pop production. Even though I loved that one too, "Ants - Acoustic" hit me differently emotionally. The vocals feel closer to the ears and the lyrics get to shine even more as they float over the tastefully arranged guitar, piano, and harmonies. I also want to highlight all the little things that come in production-wise in this new version. They never feel like too much and keep it interesting.

"Ants - Acoustic" is a stunning version that gives a song that was already brilliant the chance to shine in a different and, dare I say, more emotional atmosphere. Seeing someone you love decay into their own darkness is probably one of the most painful things you can experience. "Ants" finds a personal way to express the love and light you used to see in that person and the pain and loss of seeing it fade. David Ost is an amazing artist and by releasing this new take on "Ants" he proves that a good song works in any setting.

Listen to "Ants - Acoustic" here:

Added to our Main Spotify Playlist, our "Artist Pick" playlist, and played daily on Indie Music Center's Radio.

Written by Luna Keller.

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Lyrics

We are born in fall 2015 when you finally see me
you’re a bold loud lad with an attitude I believed it
hungover with a skin fade undercut nice and sleazy
smoking outside bars in a denim jacket keeping secrets

but I can see ants are crawling over
ants are crawling over
what’s already gone to waste
ants are crawling over
ants are crawling over
what’s already gone to waste

I hear the soundtrack to our movie scenes
a close-up every day
and in my head I see you dying on repeat

taking Sauchiehall street towards the west end border
godfather will you help our souls and take our orders
when the teardrops swell on the cardboard box
I see you’re breathing heavy but it’s not your fault

cause ants are crawling over
ants are crawling over
what’s already gone to waste

I hear soundtrack to our movie scenes
a close-up every day
and in my head I see you dying on repeat
scared like you so I can feel
closer to your pain
the ants will come for you until you’re strange to me

is it you the boy I used to know
guess if it was a little bit less of a tragedy
you wouldn’t play the lead role

I hear the soundtrack to our movie scenes
a close-up every day
and in my head I see you dying on repeat
scared like you so I can feel
closer to your pain
the ants will come for you until you’re strange to me
is it you the boy I used to know
guess if it was a little bit less of a tragedy
you wouldn’t play the lead role

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