The emotional pop and R&B project Mending Stars, led by Darren Sessions, is back with "Ashes," a thrilling and introspective song that takes something familiar and turns it into something quietly unsettling and deeply human. The song takes the creepy undertones of the childhood nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosie". It turns them into a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life, collapse, silence, and the fragile beginnings of rebirth.
"Ashes" makes you feel like you're in the calm after an emotional storm. Sessions uses the rhyme to discuss the heaviness of unspoken feelings, mental health issues, complicated relationships, and questions about who you are. Instead of giving clear answers, the track stays in the gray areas, showing what it's like to move on while still feeling confused and hurt. It makes you think without being preachy, and it shows weakness without losing your cool.
"Ashes" has an interesting mix of emotional pop, R&B, and hip-hop sounds. The beats with trap elements pulse beneath industrial textures, creating a moody atmosphere that is both striking and personal. The clear R&B vocals cut through the darkness, balancing emotion with polished control. The production fits with the song's themes: it's broken but still works, heavy but strangely uplifting.
The quiet confidence of "Ashes" is what makes it interesting. It doesn't look for big gestures or dramatic endings, instead, it invites listeners into a private space where thinking about things becomes a way to be strong. Mending Stars takes a well-known childhood song and turns it into a metaphor for adult problems. The song feels eerily universal, showing that even when things are emotionally broken, there is still movement, meaning, and the chance of something new.