There are pieces of music that arrive not simply as songs but as sanctuaries. “The Distance That Held Us”, the new collaborative instrumental single from Julia Thomsen, Marie and Hollie Kenniff, is one of those rare compositions that understands how to hold a listener, how to breathe with them and how to gently unravel the weight they carry. Released through Nettwerk Music Group, the piece stands as a testament to what can be achieved when three visionary composers converge with a shared sense of purpose: to create space, to create stillness and to create something truly transcendent.
From its very first moments, “The Distance That Held Us” rises like a dawn quietly determined to break through cloud. The opening textures gather intensity, the momentum evolving in slow motion, as if encouraging the listener to surrender to the widening emotional landscape. Yet just as the composition reaches its apex, it guides us back toward stillness. This delicate interplay of tension and release becomes the heart of the track, shaping it into a meditative journey rather than a linear progression.
What follows is deeply calming, almost medicinal. Natural world sounds drift through the piece with the subtlety of a breeze brushing past tall grass. They create an exquisite feeling of distance, granting listeners both an escape from daily pressures and an invitation to reflect with clarity. The effect is not one of sensory overload but of sensory embrace. Julia Thomsen, Marie and Hollie Kenniff envelop the listener in a mist of aural seduction where every frequency feels intentional, warm and gently protective.
The string arrangements, in particular, are breathtaking. They glide through the composition with a quiet grace, offering emotional warmth without ever demanding attention. Their presence is matched by the delicate glow of calming piano melodies, which pool at the piece’s core like soft light on water. Layered atop this is an ambient soundscape that drifts, expands and whispers with cinematic elegance. Together, these elements form a sonic architecture built not for spectacle but for immersion. The result is a journey that lingers long after the final note dissolves.
For Julia Thomsen, this collaboration adds to an already remarkable legacy. As an internationally acclaimed classical composer known for crafting evocative, genre-blending works, Thomsen has earned over 17 million Spotify streams and placements across Channel 4, Sky Sports, BBC Radio, Scala Radio and multiple Spotify editorial playlists. She has amassed an impressive list of accolades, including Best Neoclassical Single for Winter Love, a Bronze Medal for Eternal Love with Grammy-nominated harpist Kirsten Agresta Copely and Silver and Bronze distinctions at the Global Music Awards for Journey Through The Seasons and Sweet Aurora. Her music has always exuded emotional nuance and cinematic warmth, and “The Distance That Held Us” continues that lineage with stunning clarity.
Marie, one of the artistic identities of Mariana Sousa Aguiar, brings a profound sensitivity for sonic texture shaped by her classical training and her later immersion into electronic music and sound design. Currently based in Portugal, she has refined a signature style defined by emotional honesty and atmospheric precision. Her recent album Fragments earned highlights on BBC6 Radio and Spotify’s editorial selection, marking her as a vital emerging voice in contemporary ambient and experimental music. Her contribution to this collaboration can be felt in the track’s layered depth and tactile sound design.
Completing the trio is Hollie Kenniff, a Canadian-American vocalist and composer whose body of work has consistently pushed the boundaries of ambient and cinematic expression. Since releasing her debut album The Gathering Dawn in 2019, she has unveiled a string of critically acclaimed works including The Quiet Drift in 2021, We All Have Places That We Miss in 2023, the ethereal For Forever in 2024 and the introspective When We Are Free in 2025. Her longstanding collaboration with husband Keith Kenniff on their dreamy electronic project Mint Julep has given her a deep understanding of atmosphere, harmony and emotional connectivity. Her presence in “The Distance That Held Us” adds a luminous softness that completes the composition’s emotional arc.
Together, these artists have carved out a sonic world that feels both expansive and intimate. “The Distance That Held Us” does not seek to overwhelm. Instead, it invites listeners to step inside a protective cocoon of resonant tones, allowing the mind to loosen and the heart to settle. Its instrumental textures gently caress the senses, creating an atmosphere where stillness becomes not an absence but a gift.
In a world increasingly filled with conflict, chaos, noise and urgency, Julia Thomsen, Marie and Hollie Kenniff have crafted a piece that offers genuine refuge. “The Distance That Held Us” is not simply a piece of music to hear but an experience to inhabit, a moment of calm suspended in time. For anyone seeking an escape, a reset or a moment to breathe deeply, this composition provides a beautiful and restorative space.
OFFICIAL LINK: https://juliathomsen.com/
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