No, this isn’t a rerelease of some obscure Pink Floyd song you’ve barely heard, or a live single from a show long past; the legendary British prog-rockers that changed the course of rock forever have released a brand-new single, ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’, with Andriy Khlyvnyuk in support of Ukraine amidst the devastating conflict, their first single since ‘The Endless River’, which itself was an off-take from ‘The Division Bell’.

Stylistically, ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’ is a Pink Floyd song through and through, though none of the voices would be immediately familiar to long-time fans. The song opens with a deep, almost eerie choir that then brings forth the classic Floyd instrumentation consisting of an acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and a Hammond organ. Rather than Gilmour taking on the lead vocals, the feature singing Ukrainian woes over emotionally charged melodies. There’s something strangely familiar to his delivery with Floyd’s previous bassist and songwriter, Roger Waters, which makes him fit all the more with the composition. The song is divided in three distinct parts, the two sections containing lyrics sandwiching a tasteful solo section helmed by David Gilmour. The electric tone of his Stratocaster glides across the slow-moving chord changes in ways that Gilmour has perfected over his decade-long career. This section is extremely, as is the entire song, especially for long-time Floyd fans, approaching the section like seeing an old, nearly-forgotten friend. The way Gilmour chose to take the spotlight with his guitar, like when he’d first joined the band, rather than with his voice almost feels poetic in a way, instead giving his voice to someone who truly needs to be heard in these trying times.

‘Hey Hey Rise Up’ is a beautiful song, and a surprise, yet always-welcomed return to a band many had thought.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.