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Song You Need to Know: Anna Smyrk, ‘Daylight Saving’

A cathartic anthem for those who know the pain of wishing they could close the distance, “Daylight Saving” is one of the most fittingly-timed releases of the year.

Giulia McGauran*

In one of the most fittingly-timed releases of the year, Victoria’s Anna Smyrk has unveiled the latest taste of her forthcoming EP by way of new single, “Daylight Saving”.

Released just hours after we put our clocks back, Smyrk’s track isn’t simply a timely ode to the biannual time-change, but rather a heartfelt comment on separation, distance, and the inability to truly connect with others from far away.

“One of the things that’s tough about being in a relationship where you both move around a lot is always figuring out the time difference so you can talk,” explains Smyrk. “It takes away any spontaneity and makes your connections feel kind of calculated. ‘Daylight Saving’ is about wanting to close that distance, in time and space.

“This song pulls together a lot of the ideas that pop up throughout the EP, it’s all about connection and disconnection. I didn’t really set out to write a record with these themes, it was when I looked back at the collection of songs that I realised this was the common thread. I guess separation and distance were on my mind when I started writing some of these songs back in 2019, and then the pandemic hit and these themes took on even more meaning to me.”

Delivered with a slick indie-rock spin, some light orchestral flavouring, and a hard-hitting lyric belted out via Smyrk’s truly astonishing voice, “Daylight Saving” is equal parts a powerful single, and a cathartic anthem for those who know the pain of wishing they could close the distance.

“Daylight Saving” is also set to appear on Smyrk’s forthcoming The Hour Between Us EP, which arrives on October 7th.

Featuring the likes of recently-released songs “The Excavator” and “Human Condition”, the EP is described as a “sprawling collection of indie-pop songs about far-flung places, long-distance love and trying to figure out what it means to be a human”, and arrives following a few years spent based in countries as varied as Cambodia, the Solomon Islands, Belgium, Australia, and the Philippines.

Anna Smyrk’s “Daylight Saving” is out now, while her The Hour Between Us EP will be released on October 7th, with pre-saves available now.