Timing is everything, and this is not lost on Americana roots rockers Jon Tyler Wiley & His Virginia Choir.
Perfect for the new year, the band has released their brand new single, “Song of Moving On,” chock full of hopeful sentiments and forging ahead through trials of adversity, and do so in epic anthemic fashion.
The release of “Song of Moving On” acts as the official announcement of Jon Tyler Wiley and His Virginia Choir’s upcoming debut album, Pictures in the Dark, which is slated for a March 29, 2024 release.
A sort of heavenly symphony somewhat reminiscent of a church congregation’s worship choir in its energy and intensity, “Song of Moving On” is a powerful call to hope, redemption and emotional perseverance. With its heavy crashes and deep, dramatic soundscape, the track is an anthemic ode to the human spirit.
Cleverly opening each verse with “This is a song of hope,” “This is a song of joy,” and “This is a song of peace,” Wiley paints vivid pictures as he makes his way to the booming chorus. “All he needed was a song / A simple la de da,” Wiley sings, and although the chorus lyricism is a bit basic, there’s no ignoring the rumbling emotion pouring from the song.
Creating a commanding presence that directs the track through its motivational sentiments from start to finish, Wiley’s thunderous voice builds upon the refined, orchestral instrumentation. As the single comes to its final seconds, Wiley’s fiery voice soars in a bone-chilling, emotional crescendo ending.
“I wrote ‘Song of Moving On’ after going through a bout of seasonal depression,” Wiley says. “I had been in this funk that I couldn’t quite shake myself out of, and I had this guitar part that I had been noodling around on for years, so it was very deliberate: I made the decision that I was going to use that instrumental part to write myself out the hole I had been in. There was very little revision, it was very shoot-from-the-hip, very honest. That’s why we’re releasing it now; it felt right to start the new year like this.”
After developing his career as a solo artist and performing all of the instruments on his debut album The Longing himself, Wiley assembled some of his closest friends — His Virginia Choir — in what would soon become a dynamic ensemble of seasoned musicians with an ear for blending folk, country, and Americana.
Hailing from Northern Virginia, the band’s goal was always to harness different musical elements from the state of Virginia and combine them into one sound: rock from the cities, bluegrass and country from the rural communities, and Americana/singer-songwriter sounds from the college towns.
Jon Tyler Wiley & His Virginia Choir now look ahead to the release of their sixth and final single, which will drop in February before the big release of Pictures in the Dark.
Note* Paul Howard contributed to this article.
