Los Angeles-based BC Smith is an accomplished composer who’s made a lasting impact with music for the moving image. Since his first film score for Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals, which won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award & Filmmaker Trophy, BC Smith has contributed musical magic to a range of different projects.
Scoring Tobe Hooper’s final film Djinn and Free Solo director’s Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Nat Geo series Edge of the Unknown along the way, BC has become an in-demand composer to apply his craft to leading productions. Extending his sonic talents to the band A Demon In Fun City, which features BC Smith with author Richard Kadrey, the duo crafts an original musical world and released their debut eponymous record last year.
Now he takes another new step on his exciting musical adventure by releasing his first solo release, bringing us the debut single titled “Ashes.” BC Smith’s foray into the sphere of solo releases is an eagerly anticipated exploration of his personal sonic output.
While his distinguished career has seen him score over 45 films, this release marks a poignant moment as he steps into the spotlight as a solo artist. “Ashes” holds a special significance for BC Smith, representing a musical tale that mirrors his personal journey. Breaking away from the conventions of traditional composition, “Ashes” blends acoustic guitars processed through modular synths, piano and cinematic orchestration.
Opened by soft acoustic plucks, softly layering up as the tight looped frame is capped by stretching melodic ideas that dance and expand above. Floating in an endless reverb, the top notes flutter to contrast the intimate aesthetic of the backing tones. Gentle synth swells rise and add colour to the arrangement as the journey gradually unfolds to deliver a hypnotic and enchanting listening experience that builds throughout.
Though void of lyrics, the instrumental piece serves as a vessel for storytelling, with the instruments expressing a rich narrative while leaving room for audience interpretation. Casting an emotive tone and striking a mesmeric sound, “Ashes” is a truly dazzling ambient instrumental piece that showcases BC Smith’s extraordinary compositional skills while presenting his creativity in a new light.
Listen to Ashes below
More from Music
New music from Serge & The Currents
Melbourne-based musician Sergio Ercole has spent more than four decades building a life around the guitar, moving between classical and …
IRONA releases new single “Marble White”
From New York to London, IRONA is an Istanbul-based artist whose music takes inspiration from a sense of place while …
Shumo AG releases brand new single
Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shumo AG is developing a musical world that stretches far beyond his young age. Balancing school …
