Paul Garside’s ‘Mariana Trench’ takes a difficult subject and gives it an unexpectedly buoyant frame. Written around the experience of emerging from depression, the song avoids sinking into heaviness, instead using movement, warmth and gradual lift to mirror the act of working towards the surface.
The title is an effective metaphor. Here, the deepest ocean trench becomes shorthand for isolation, pressure and distance from the light, while the song’s rising and falling chord movement reflects the instability that sits behind that feeling.
Jamie Jordan’s bodhran and JJ Bugoma’s shaker and congas bring different rhythmic traditions into the arrangement, creating a pulse that feels restless but optimistic. Around them, Chris Madden’s Hammond B3, Tyson Trbczyzski’s double bass and Salla Rimmi’s backing vocals gradually widen what began as a simple acoustic song.
The production also benefits from restraint. Recorded with Andy Le Vien in South London before being expanded through remote contributions from musicians across Europe and Africa, the final mix favours a roomy, organic sound that allows each instrument to retain its true character.
Most importantly, the chorus delivers the release the song has been working towards. After the darker imagery of the verses, it opens out with a genuine sense of lightness, making the central message feel wonderfully earned.
Warm, textured and quietly uplifting, ‘Mariana Trench’ finds Paul Garside turning a deeply personal period into something generous. It’s a song about recognising how far down you have been, then choosing to keep swimming anyway.
