Featured Tune: "Hang On To You" from Ian Roland
reviews
Holding On Through the Storm
Ian Roland’s “Hang On To You” is a warm ember in a cold world
There’s something tenderly defiant about Ian Roland’s “Hang On To You.” It arrives like a quiet reassurance whispered against the howl of a storm, a song of love that clings not out of desperation, but of choice, of strength, of sheer emotional necessity.
Roland’s vocals, weathered, heartfelt, and deeply human, carry the opening lines with a gentle gravity: “Falling for you, in bleak, bleak times.” It’s not just a lyric, it’s a mood—one we’ve all known too well in recent years. Wrapped in the comforting hush of his guitar, the track slowly blooms, joined by Dave Coomber’s grounding bass and James Chapman’s understated but purposeful drums.
But it’s Mishkin Fitzgerald who adds that unexpected emotional lift, her piano lines glisten like hope breaking through cloud cover, while her backing vocals echo Roland’s, softening the weight of his words. Together, the band builds a subtle soundscape that never overreaches but always feels full.
What makes “Hang On To You” special is its refusal to let go, not just of love, but of light. It’s a song that says, yes, things are rough. Yes, the world feels gray. But here you are. And here I am. And I’m hanging on.
It’s not flashy. It doesn’t need to be. It’s honest, human, and quietly powerful. A love song for hard times and we need more of those.