I have been known to call songs friends, because often when you need to be comforted or understood they are there for you. A sad song can help you release your emotions, a happy song can lift you up and motivate you and a hopeful song can help you look up again. This week I’m writing about what I believe to be the equivalent of a musical hug, the beautiful and comforting new release by Test Card Girl.

The Manchester-based artist released "If You’re Feeling Down" on the 26th of February, it’s a delicate folk song with haunting harmonies that shows a more vulnerable and acoustic side of Catherine Burgis' songwriting. The whole song builds around an acoustic guitar and stunning layered vocals only joined by very minimal percussions and a piano towards the end. That simplicity helps create a very intimate atmosphere that makes you feel like the artist is singing just for you.

What hits you the most while experiencing this song are definitely the lyrics. They feel like something you want to tell the people that are closest to you and maybe should tell yourself more often. "If you’re feeling down and need a reason why remember that you’re loved and love will never die". It’s a beautiful reminder for anyone who’s going through something that they’re not alone, and that there’s always a way through our darkness.

Throughout the pandemic, loneliness has become a big theme in many lives. "If You’re Feeling Down" is a quiet anthem for human connection, hope and the strength that we can give each other. It’s a song to listen to after a particularly hard day, it’s a haven for all of us to return to when we lose ourselves a little.

Listen to "If You’re Feeling Down" here:

Included in our "Artist Pick" Spotify playlist.

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More about Test Card Girl

Test Card Girl is a solo project by Manchester, UK singer/songwriter Catherine Burgis who started unexpectedly writing songs in 2019 aged 35. Bored of an admin-based existence, Catherine set off on a song-writing journey into all corners of her mind, simultaneously becoming a stand-up comedian touring the country with a novelty miniature keyboard. She released her first single in September 2020 after which she received an Arts Council England grant to write and release her first EP. Since then her music has been championed byJohn Kennedy on Radio X and by Steve Lamacq in his BBC 6 Music'Ones to Watch 2021' show. She takes her name from the iconic image of the girl and clown used on UK television to signal the end of evening broadcasting - a girl trapped in a technicolor world of screens and machines.

by Luna Keller

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