Though not as attractive as the guitar parts in the song are, the synthetic shards of melodicism that comes skating through the backdrop of Gianni Bodo’s “Hurricanes and Butterflies (Flowers Don’t Die)” are an irreplaceable cornerstone of the track’s harmony. As integral to the development of the hook as any of the other components of the composition are, the synth element in this single serves to create balance and warmth behind a glowing duet between Bodo and songstress Brigitte Pace. Pace holds her own with the highly-praised Montreal musician, which in itself is something worth applauding (particularly if you’ve heard his past releases).
Instrumentation aside, “Hurricanes and Butterflies (Flowers Don’t Die)” feels like a lyrical masterpiece designed specifically with the intention of highlighting Bodo’s poetic side. He’s definitely not holding anything back from us with his verses here, and although there’s a familiar pattern to the flow of the lyrics in this single, it doesn’t sound watered-down or generic in the least. Bodo has no space in his artistic identity for anyone else’s ideals; truth be told, I think he’s got enough of his own story to share, and that’s more than evident when listening to this latest studio cut.
Gianni Bodo always owns the spotlight whenever he steps into the recording space to make a new track, but in the case of “Hurricanes and Butterflies (Flowers Don’t Die),” he shares center stage with Brigitte Pace quite democratically. He’s the main object of audiences’ affection here, no questions asked, but with that said, Pace is what gives his performance an added layer of authenticity that wouldn’t have been present were she not in the mix. She’s got a heck of a future ahead of her on her own, but in the company of this singer/songwriter, we get a great idea as to what she can accomplish overall.
Listening to this track and its lyric video made me want to go back to Fade to Rose and relive some of the LP’s most powerful moments all over again, while also getting excited about what the future might hold for Bodo. He and Pace are a match made in heaven, and I’m really rooting to hear them record something together once more before the year 2020 has come to a conclusion.
Kim Muncie