Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Brendan Pegg has carved a name for himself as a one-man powerhouse, writing, singing, and recording every layer of his tracks with an unflinching honesty, moving intimacy, and cinematic sweep.
His new single “In the Dark,” released this fall, may just be his most vulnerable moment yet. Drawing on influences like John Mayer, Dermot Kennedy, and Phoebe Bridgers, Pegg situates himself at the crossroads of indie-folk tenderness and atmospheric pop melancholy. But what makes this track stand out is the way it sounds more like a late-night confession whispered through melody.
“In the Dark” starts with a strummed acoustic guitar, bare and unhurried, as Pegg’s high, airy vocals drift in. He sings with a calm gentleness, a soft smile audible in his tone, but beneath the numbed smooth surface lies a weariness that runs deep. The verses portray someone taking hit after hit, numbing themselves against constant struggle, keeping their voice steady so the cracks don’t show. By the bridge, though, his composure slips, as he sings, “Good things in my life get lost on me / It will always be so hard for me to see that one day I will be happy.” The line lands heavy, like the voice of someone admitting what they’ve always tried to hide.
As the track nears its end, Pegg’s restraint finally breaks. His vocals soar higher, taut with frustration and agony, the vulnerability creasing out as he yelps the devastating line, “It’s not alright but life goes—” broken by electric guitars surging in. The bass deepens and drums crash in waves, only to recede again as his feather-light delivery returns, almost as if he’s pulling the mask back on, because this circle is how life goes on.
This hauntingly humane song is a hard relate, and it comes to provide you the comfort of knowing someone else is also stumbling “In The Dark.”
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Review by: Naomi Joan