“Dear Theo” is a Song Inspired by the Letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his Brother

The chemistry between the members of S.S. Odyssey is undeniable. It is clear that this group has been playing music together well over a decade because of the flawless flow of their music. Their music sounds natural and smooth and is calming to the soul. S.S. Odyssey’s new song “Dear Theo” was inspired by the hundreds of letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. There is said to be over 900 letters. Although, the lyrics are drawn from an event that wasn’t personal to the songwriters, the vocal delivery still feels deeply personal and emotional to the point where it feels like it’s tugging on your heart. Perhaps the songwriters are relating to the content in Van Gogh’s letters. The song does indeed cover many universal topics that could be fitting to basically anyone’s life. “Dear Theo” is driven by an acoustic guitar, a peaceful sounding vocal and just enough percussion to carry the track. The song definitely begs to be listened to more than once to devour all of the beautiful lyrics. There is not a line in this song that just serves as filler. Each lyric is quite meaningful. Hear it for yourself on Spotify:

Here’s what S.S. Odyssey had to say about the song:

“Dear Theo is a song written from the perspective of the painter Vincent Van Gogh. It draws inspiration from the over 900 hundred letters Van Gogh wrote, mostly to his younger brother Theo. In a 1888 letter to his brother, Vincent wrote that he was yearning to create ‘brushstrokes that hold together and intertwine well, with feeling, like a piece of music played with emotion.” This song seeks to reverse that process, and evoke the duel melancholy and intensity that pulses from Vincent’s brush strokes.’.”

The band is inspired by artists like Iron and Wine, Gillian Welch, Lord Huron and more.

Written by Ryan Cassata