To have some suffering is very important. You learn from suffering, and against that background, you can recognize happiness. — Thich Nhat Hanh

Suffering directs a man to look within. If it succeeds, then there, within him, is the beginning of his learning. — Søren Kierkegaard

I have never seen the point of suffering simply for suffering’s sake. Rather than using past struggles to attenuate the pleasures that (we hope) will follow, I’ve found that Happiness serves to emphasize how depressed I used to be. But I have learned from suffering: I’ve learned that I don’t want to do it anymore and that I need to avoid people and partners who might lead me down that path.

I have also learned to recognize the Rituals of Suffering, those signposts of self-medication that lead us into the mental wilderness. With ‘Day 16,’ Saltlick shares that pinpoint of Hope that shows up around week two of a depressive cycle, that glimmer of rationality – glimpsed somewhere between last night’s Bud Light and today’s cheap white wine – that makes one believe that everything is gonna be alright.

i found my own way out of the darkness
i found my own way out of you
i found my own way into the clouds
and they give me a better view

‘Day 16’ is a gauzy cloud of surf-tinged dream pop. The arrangement is softly beautiful; a couple of guitars rambling and pinging, with chiming chords. There are no sharp corners or rough edges. The voice is allowed to state its simple case without the echoing reverb that obscures the honesty of many within the genre.

Saltlick is Brianna Snider of Columbus, Ohio. ‘Day 16’ is from her new four-song EP Watering Dead Plants. ‘This EP marks one of the worst points in my life,’ Brianna tells us in the EP’s notes. ‘I couldn’t sleep, had trouble eating well, and watched my grades drop right before my eyes. Never let someone cause you that much anguish. I hope you feel the misery through my songs so you don’t have to otherwise.’

Saltlick’s music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Cassettes are available from Chillwavve Records. And be sure to follow Saltlick on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.