REVIEW: “spiral” With Petra Jarrar on Her Debut Single
WRITTEN BY HAILEY VALDIVIA
✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
After five years away from the music industry, Petra Jarrar returns with a deeply personal debut single, "spiral.” The track is anxious and haunting in the ways it digs deep into untangling grief. This release marks a new beginning for Jarrar.
The song starts out with a delicate sadness before descending sonically. Aptly titled, “spiral” follows the same structure that looping thoughts do. It starts out small before twisting and weaving into something bigger. The song is guided by shifting melodies that decrescendo rather than a more traditional song structure which strengthens the gloomy tone the longer the song goes on.
Jarrar’s co-writer and producer, All Made Up, ensured the emotions of the song translated effortlessly into the narrative. Jarrar grew up listening to classical music and lists influences such as Lana Del Rey, Evanescence and Phoebe Bridgers which can all be heard in the DNA of the track. There is also a classical flair in the song that is intentional.
“As I’ve begun cultivating my newest project, I’ve wanted to create a bridge between my worlds of classical music and indie rock,” Jarrar said.
The song is important to Jarrar as it was written after a destabilizing moment within her family, it had come to her during a car ride from her home state Connecticut to New York.
“That night became a turning point, pushing me to step away from music and confront the weight around intergenerational trauma alongside the grief of losing my father. I started therapy, and began using writing as an outlet to make sense of the uncertainty I had within myself,” Jarrar said.
Although the song is an intimate look into Jarrar's experience, it is a song that will resonate with audiences who are familiar with grief and how all-consuming it can be.
“When I finally began seeking help and trying to better understand my grief, I realized how many shared emotions exist within loss. Even though everyone’s experience can be different, this is a universality in the confusion, guilt and loneliness that grief can bring,” Jarrar said.
“spiral” is an exciting sneak peak for what's to come for Jarrar.