Sometimes the submissions I receive are from artists that are just starting out and have very little name recognition, and trust me I love those submissions, then sometimes Passenger’s publicist sends a music video. This song, and accompanying video immediately grabbed my attention because it scratches that itch of pop/indie that hits me just right on a morning walk or time spent journaling with a cup of coffee. Put plainly, it’s an earworm with a melancholic tinge that mixes well on this early January winter morning in Denver.

My first thought as the verses begin was “this is certainly a Passenger song,” and I mean that in the best way possible. Michael David Rosenberg aka Passenger has the well-produced and upbeat sad song dialed in to the point that many artists could only dream of. The message of the song is relatable for many who have navigated the dating waters in the modern world, constantly restarting the “search for a heart to love,” that Rosenberg talks about so eloquently. The video itself is simple but captures the feeling of being lost in a crowd, both literally and with the song’s content as the speaker continually wades through the crowd in search of his one and only.

I’ve been hopelessly clutching up for something I can hold
I’ve been lying in the dark with no light in my soul
I’ve been rummaging around in the rain and the cold
I’ve been searching for diamonds in a pile of coal
I’ve been searching for diamonds in a pile of coal

-Passenger “Heart to Love”