Ships Have Sailed – “Silence”

Ships Have Sailed – “Silence”

At the helm of Ships Have Sailed is vocalist/guitarist Will Carpenter. Currently, the permanent lineup includes drummer Art Andanikyan.

Though their moniker hints at lost opportunities, there is tons of hope in their music itself.

In their most recently released track “Silence,” which was featured in a pivotal scene in Grey Anatomy’s season 19 finale, the lyrics to the track speak of the events of the past several years, which were fraught with grief. During the creation process of Ages, Carpenter’s mother-in-law succumbed to cancer. This traumatic event combined with the stress of what was going on with the pandemic opened Carpenter up to a whole new perspective on life and music, which resulted in this powerful new song called, “Silence.”

“As humans, one thing we have in common is the experience of loss,” muses Carpenter. “We begin to realize that our moments are never promised, and that can be both sad and empowering.  When I wrote ‘Silence’ I found myself dealing with a heavy burden of grief, and simultaneously had so much going on that there was no room to process it. My mind was noisy. I made a deal with myself that I would find two minutes, twice a day, to just sit, be still and breathe, and this song just materialized in one of those moments. I still use it as a reminder to find those moments of peace, calm, and quiet amidst all the noise, and it is such an honor to have it recognized and used in such a powerful way to support a pivotal moment in someone else’s story.”

Emotionally powerful and deeply moving, Carpenter’s soft vocals over a bed of acoustic guitar creates a very moving soundscape. He sings in a hushed cadence that slowly moves over the instrumentals. Next, the addition of synthetic strings and drums makes the music even more dynamic. This was a moody and pensive track with a hushed sense of expectancy as the vocals and music works together to create something truly moving.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ObhYpK3hgmiqfyrv0CRWg?si=86f78d86cf3e4a20

Though filled with melancholy vibes, I can still sense the hope permeating this track. This was a somber song filled with many moving moments that I felt were very haunting. I thought the band does an excellent job here and I look forward to seeing more music from them soon. 5.8/10

By My Nguyen