First Impressions: “Something to Believe In” by Tori Holub

The gloomiest of days eventually give way to good weather, with the sun rising from the horizon and showering its rays on the environs. Birds chatter and chirp. Deer frolic on fields of green. And somewhere, through those darkest hours and then the dawn, the velvety hues of Tori Holub linger like the comforting echoes of long ago. 

Holub, for those unfamiliar with her, is an aspiring audio engineer who shares cover songs on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Hers is a remarkable voice that conjures Karen Carpenter on first, second and every listen so it’s not surprising that many of the secondhand songs she chooses were initially recorded by the Carpenters. She also tackles the Beatles and such MOR favorites as ONJ, Carly Simon and Linda Ronstadt, plus “Georgia on My Mind.” That a 20-something enjoys such old artists and songs shouldn’t be a surprise; the Napster age tore down the generational wall that prevented the young from enjoying the music of their parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods and teen years, with modern streaming culture then building a multiplex of entertainment pursuits in its very spot.

Aside from social media, however, Holub’s official releases are slim—a few Christmas singles, the classic “Superstar,” and now the new “Something to Believe In.” Written by Richard Kraft and produced by Jimena Caballero, it sounds like a long-lost Carpenters track due to its plaintive piano, wordless backing vocals, and lyrics about stolen dreams, broken hearts and a person who upends that status quo. “Then suddenly appears the least expected hero of the year/you turn this town upside down/turning people’s lives around/giving back some hope and pride/stirring something deep inside…”

The video itself features Holub lip-syncing to the track in front of a Christmas tree—it’s nothing special. But the song itself is well worth a listen, especially for folks who enjoy the Carpenters and their modern-day heirs, Rumer and Harriet. Here’s hoping that, at some point, she releases an album that features a mix of new and old tunes similar to the old-school pop albums of the late 1960s and early ’70s. (Something tells me that she’d do wonders with Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.” Just sayin’.)