Abby Zotz – Local Honey (LP) 

LAST FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Abby+Zotz/Local+Honey

Walking down the sidewalk of a green neighborhood street, Abby Zotz’ new video “Good Bones” starts off the way any other day would in Zotz life; a guitar strung over her back, a smile on her face and a song in her heart just waiting to be sung. She approaches a beautiful brick house patriotically adorned with a Canadian flag blowing in the wind. She steps right up to the door and walks in, taking us on a tour of its rooms and hallways as she starts to sing of wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle and back to what really matters most – home.

She looks at the old glassware that’s sat at a million family dinners and can’t help but recall the taste of every meal. She finds her way over to a pile of old photo albums and picture frames and searches through them for more memories, which come flooding back with each glimpse. Another instrument-clad figure comes to the door and is greeted by an earnest Zotz ready to give them a big hug. Yet another arrives, and another, and soon she isn’t alone in an empty house anymore; she’s surrounded by kindred souls who came looking for the same comforts she did.

The group of familial faces gather in a circle and engage in the song, and it’s almost like we’ve been invited inside with them to take part in this inspiring moment of musical communion. We’re looking through the photos like a member of the family, laughing along with all of the jokes and sipping from the same pot of coffee as Zotz and her company are. We’re inside of a snapshot taken of Zotz at her most unguarded and accessible, and she couldn’t do a better job of making us feel like we belong here.

A house is a building made of brick and mortar, but the memories and emotions that can transpire within it aren’t of this earth; they’re directly connected to the heavens and the magic of being alive. “Good Bones” reminds us that no matter where we go in life or what we’re doing, we are always effected and rooted in the home that we come from and the lessons it’s taught us. As the video carries on, we see new photos being added to the albums to mark this occasion, which becomes all the more special when breaking down the context of the song’s lyrics.

As “Good Bones” fades away and Zotz leaves us with the parting image of a singular photo capturing the group sitting together on this day to remember, it’s hard not to think of our own families and the history we’ve created with them. Great songs provoke thought, but great videos bring those thoughts into a tangible reality like nothing else can. Zotz has made a truly mesmerizing music video for this song which in my opinion maintains the pedigree set forth by its expansive parent album Local Honey. If you haven’t already seen it or heard the record, I’d encourage you to seek out both as soon as possible.

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/local-honey/1420231383

Mark Druery