Photo by Hans Neumann
Steele F.C. (fka Steele and (Brooklyn) Steele) has been steadily defining his sound with each release. There’s a sunniness to it, even when forlorn, an almost metallic, vibrating timbre, and a continued desire to be in the right place (mentally, emotionally, physically, in a relationship, what have you). If his catalogue was a film genre it would be 80s coming of age film. Previously we’ve listened to Steele fall in love, deal with loneliness, feel restless, but on “Que Sera”, he confronts loss.
He shared, “After the loss of multiple family members over the course of a few months, I had my first proper experience with grief. I was sad, but also was surprised at my clarity around the situation. It completely changed the way I thought about life, and I was struck by all of the strange quirks that come along with ones death. Frequent trips to the hospital, the mundane, the presentness, the quiet joy of a life well spent together, the warmth of a loving bond, collective sadness, the strange formalities of last rites, the muted strength of support, the grace of a family grieving at a funeral, the meaningful but empty platitudes, our biological response to shock, the dull aching pain that moves in after it’s all over, and the warm memories in which our loved ones live eternally.”
As with all meaningful pieces of art, though, there is an element of love even though the song is centered around death. We hear Steele find his coping mechanisms and his own way of moving forward. There is a strange lack of meaning in certain things as he goes through the standardized practices of grieving, but an enhanced experience of others. Closing out the song with a guitar solo performed by Fat Trout Trailer Park, it feels like an optimistic, at peace sendoff for those love ones he’s lost.
