Sixty Miles Down – “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)”
Sixty Miles Down – “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” – Single Review
Never forget y’all…when you get that moment of should-I or shouldn’t-I…that trepidation that tends to surround art or music that is unlike stuff you might have done in the past…that pang of fear that can strike you in the strangest way when you’re about to put something out there that represents a personal or different side of you than you’ve previously shown the world before…that’s actually the most precise way that your instincts can try to tell ya that you’re about to do something special. In fact, I’d argue it’s not really fear at all…I get it – it can be a bit of a departure into the unknown, which can be kinda scary…all I’m saying is reprogram yourself from the idea that it’s something to be afraid of, and embrace those moments where you push yourself forward into whatever comes next as something to be significantly proud of. Especially in the realm of art and music, whereby what you create will quite often end up with a polarizing effect on people at some point along the way…whether you experience a pass or a fail in the court of public opinion for your actions, you always learn something from having put yourself out there on display from a different angle, which allows you to build on that, and continue to evolve both in your craft, and as a human being. It is always worth it to take the road less traveled.
When I heard this new song from Sixty Miles Down, called “This Is Me (Feeling Cold),” I did feel like I was hearing something different from what I’d heard this John Mosco-led band in the past…that was the first thing that hit me. In most cases, including this one, trying out something different is always a move that I respect – I don’t think any of us should have to be pinned down to creating art or music in a singular way, and that freedom of expression – going where the song or the moment itself takes you – is the most important part of what guides you in how to get the best out of yourself. More specifically, when I first heard “This Is Me (Feeling Cold),” I could hear and feel the isolation that John was singing about, but what I genuinely believe I heard beyond that, was potential, possibilities, and opportunities ahead.
To be even more truthful, I actually started thinking about Alice In Chains. Not necessarily because “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” reminded me too much of the band sound-wise…though there are comparisons that could be made, in particular through the vocals/harmonies on this new Sixty Miles Down single – but also because of a memory that came back to me from listening to AIC long ago. It was back in that period of adjustment their fans experienced in life without Layne, on the album Black Gives Way To Blue. I remember going through the songs on that record, thinking that I wasn’t at all finding what I was hoping for or looking for…track by track, nothing was going to fill the hole that Staley left behind, and I wasn’t hearing that spark of something new that was gonna give me some kinda hope for AIC’s future. I remember almost getting to the end of the album, disappointed that what I was desperate to find didn’t seem to be there at all…until it was, in the final/title-track of the record – “Black Gives Way To Blue.” In that moment, I heard EVERYTHING I wanted to hear – not just in the song itself, but in the song behind the song…it was like I could hear a pathway forward for a lot of my past heroes to go on making music, and a way of honoring what they’d achieved together by leaving it behind & moving forward into doing something NEW. “Black Gives Way To Blue” represented that hope, potential, opportunity and possibility ahead, much like this single seems to for 60MD.
It too was a very short song, or at least for AIC, clocking in at just barely over three-minutes in length. It wasn’t quite as short as “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” by 60MD here, but the same kind of profound effect was achieved all the same…listening to this song felt like it actually opens a significant amount of doors for the potential, possibilities, and opportunities ahead of John’s band and their music. Kinda made me smile to be honest with ya…yes the song itself is pretty damn desolate & grim when it comes to its lyrics and the sadness you can infer from what Mosco is singing about…but there was something special about listening to “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” that really felt like it has to be acknowledged that what might appear to be a small, careful & cautious step forward to us, can be a giant leap forward in who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Essentially, while “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” is less than ninety seconds long, the impact it could go on to have with the music of Sixty Miles Down could last a whole lot longer.
Because I really like what I’m hearing here John-o! The vocals are spectacular, the lyricism is focused, the emotion is there, and the music is a stellar match from start to finish. Is it your normal thing, or made by your normal methods for the 60MD sound – no…I know that it’s not just like you know that it’s not – but results are results my friend…something in you told you that this was strong enough to put out as a single and represented 60MD just as much as any other tune in the catalog somehow – and you were RIGHT about that. “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” might very well end up being looked at as an audible line drawn in the sand that separated the past from the present/future ahead whereby Sixty Miles Down was able to open up, expand, and surge into a whole new realm of possibilities & unexplored potential.
It’s the kind of thing you don’t really discover, and can’t, until you put yourself out there further on a limb like John has done here with “This Is Me (Feeling Cold).” Again, I get it…it’s a tiny tune in a big ol’ bucket of songs out there in this world, but it represents so much more. There is truth in his words, there is sincerity, honesty, and relatable perspective…there is a connection we can feel in the moment that flows throughout this song from beginning to end. Is it complete? Is it enough? Technically, yes. Metaphorically, even more. Do I want MORE of what I’m hearing here? I do. And I suppose it’s still fair to say that “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” does still also carry a quality or two that makes it feel like an intro or interlude that likely has a part two coming, or a track that continues this idea/sound to another level beyond what we’re hearing. Whether that’s a direct continuation, or something entirely different, only time will tell I suppose…but I think that it’s a testament to John’s writing that a song like “This Is Me (Feeling Cold) sounds more like the beginning of something, rather than the end, know what I mean? I would certainly welcome a giant-sized part two where this whole idea becomes some kind of like…I dunno…epic companion – it’d be a great way to respond to John’s emotions on display in “This Is Me (Feeling Cold)” and shows that character arc taking place inside him, perhaps one that reveals how he’s risen above all that was once holding him back in this song, to become the man that he now is today.
Pay attention to the signs dear readers, dear friends. More often than not, the anxiety we feel inside ourselves when we’re doing something different is what tells us were about to do something genuinely special in the next chapter of our story ahead. I believe that John and Sixty Miles Down have probably experienced a whole lot of that feeling in releasing “This Is Me (Feeling Cold),” but mark my words, this is likely a true indication of how the sound of 60MD can continue to expand, and a large part of what could be the blueprint for the path forward as they set up shop to surge into the prime of their career throughout the years to follow.
Find out more about Sixty Miles Down from their official website at: https://60md.com
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