Mimi Gilbert Shows Listeners How to Find the Light

Even in the lowest moments of our lives, there is a moment where the light breaks through the clouds and we can see the path before us. In “Dark Storm,” Mimi Gilbert shares her struggles with not finding that light and the journey she took to rise above. Baring her soul in this powerful folk-rock ballad, she carries her audience through the storm into a hopeful future.

“I wrote this song when I was afraid,” Gilbert revealed. “Between the hours I was working making music and doing my side jobs gardening, I was only making enough to cover rent and bills. At the time, I couldn’t afford to see the dentist about a bad toothache that was getting worse or seek help for my mental health flares that seemed to pop up out of nowhere.”

Inspired by Joni Mitchell’s ability to turn the mirror back on her own emotions and put them to music, Gilbert sought to give listeners a friend in the darkness. “Before being provided with solutions, I’ve found in my own life [that] it can be most helpful to simply know that I’m not alone,” she said. “I hope that this song can sit with people when they’re stuck in their own shit and just be a sonic companion for them, sharing the proverbial cigarette. Maybe some will just like the sounds and not hear the words at all; that’d be great too.”

Offset by an echoing chorus of female voices, the song’s crunchy bassline and steady drumbeat give the audience the impression of being caught in the middle of a thunderstorm, building to a rapturous crescendo. The journey Gilbert takes listeners on through the bridge fills the instrumentals with an almost triumphant tone, more powerful for having come through the other side. Opening each verse with a glimpse at her inner monologue, Gilbert brings listeners along with her as she heals, showing them that it’s okay to need that extra time.

As an independent artist, Gilbert has previously released two albums, but her new album, Grew Inside the Water, will be her first published through Cohort Records. The album will be released on October 23, and “Dark Storm” will be available to stream from Cohort Records/AWAL on September 25.