Matze Pröllochs processes Miscarriage in «Stay»

At first, it seems like any other relationship song. Matze Pröllochs sings: «Hey, it’s been a long way already / Hey, why don’t you stay here with me.» And in a way, it is about a relationship. The one built with an unborn child, but one that unfortunately will never come to full fruition due to a miscarriage.

I won’t ever be able to fully understand this pain. The hopes, the imagined future, the uncertainty, and the unconditional love shattered. Processing the death of children has been put into music, Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton, for example. But miscarriages are rarely discussed publicly and even rarer from the father’s perspective—even though it is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of pregnancies end in one.

In his upcoming solo album, BIRTH NO BIRTH, the Berlin-based drummer, composer, and performer Matze Pröllochs explores the topic of birth and—in the case of Stay—grants space to the taboo aspect. The touching song, alongside an evocative video, premieres today with Negative White:

Stay certainly features a melancholic, even sad undertone, espcially when Joel Siepmann’s cello enters, yet Pröllochs keeps his position on the lighter and warmer side. Glowing synths lead the way into a colourful universe where art-pop‘s whimsical nature teams up with dream-pop‘s elusiveness.

Stay, unlike the largely instrumental album, features Pröllochs‘ soft, comforting voice. Somewhere between forgiving and pleading, the few lines carry the whole emotional weight. But there is no need for more words for a pain and loss beyond language.