New Music: Alice Gift – The Quiet Are the Loudest

The origin story for The Quiet Are the Loudest, the new single from Alice Gift, is as fascinating as the track itself.  

Gift, who established himself as a soundtrack composer and the voice of Velvet Condom, wrote the music that became The Quiet Are the Loudest almost two decades ago when he first moved to Berlin. Only now has he felt that the words and the moment are right to share it with others, in a style of music he describes as Chanson Noir.

That fits in beautifully with the theme of the song: the power that restraint and silence have in our lives and how loud silence can feel, can be. Detailing how being left on the margins can be a freedom of sorts – to set the tone and start trends for others – Gift delivers us an anthem for the outsider who may be an outlier but also a cultural antihero.

In keeping with that quality, The Quiet Are the Loudest finds its own path: the artist is at his most intimate, and the arrangement doesn’t fit into one neat box, coming rather loosely under indie, with shoegaze and alt-rock a constant, subtle presence. You might hear something of yourself in the song, and sometimes, we all need to hear that we are special, not odd or alone, quiet and strong.  

The Quiet Are the Loudest can be heard on Spotify and SoundCloud. Alice Gift has announced two gigs in the Alsace region of France next month and plays Urban Spree on the 29th of October. For gig and music updates, head to Facebook or Instagram.   

Header photo by Sakamoto Minami