Today, HM is happy to premiere This Present Darkness’s second single, “The Spice Must Flow,” from the upcoming album Dream of Waking Up. This Present Darkness is the heavy moniker for Austin,TX-based solo artist Nic Wallace. TPD released “Kairos” from the same album earlier this year.
“The Spice Must Flow” features Garrett Russell, vocalist for Silent Planet. Wallace told us he has been a fan of Silent Planet’s work since 2012, holding high respect for Russell, calling him “a truly upstanding and Christ-like person. On top of that, he’s always been an amazing friend to me and has helped me through some really dark times in the past.”
We spoke with Wallace a little more about the meaning behind the song:
“‘The Spice Must Flow’ is named after Frank Herbet’s Dune series. In the books, melange spice is the most popular item in the galaxy. The profits from it are so high that the government turns a blind eye to whatever happens on the planet so long as the spice production continues. Entire races and cultures are wiped out and marginalized and no one bats an eyelash because, as they say in the book, ‘The spice must flow.’
“As soon as the idea for the song came to me, I knew Garrett was the perfect person for it. I know he’s a busy guy so I remember texting him back in summer: ‘Hey, I finally have that song I want you to guest on, but the only catch is I want you to write your own lyrics.’ Garrett just knocked it out the park, which, of course, I knew he would.”
Dream of Waking Up will be released on Jan. 1, 2016.
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