Grief can be difficult to put into words. For Danielle Schroeder, it becomes the heart of her new single, “The Ache of Living.” The song talks about loss, pressure, pain and the process of learning how to live with those feelings.

Released on April 26, “The Ache of Living” came from a difficult time in Danielle’s life after the death of a close friend. That experience is easy to feel in the lyrics. She sings, “This wave of grief making it hard to breathe,” before talking about responsibilities, scars and the moments when everything starts to feel like too much.

But even with all that sadness, the song does not leave you feeling completely hopeless.

There is a sense of comfort running through it, especially in the way Danielle talks about her “evening star.” At the start of the song, the star is waiting in the shadows with a message she has to follow. Later, she describes it as a guiding light that protects her when the darkness becomes too much.

That image gives the song another side. The darkness is there, but so is something helping her find her way through it.

One line that really stands out is “There’s nothing wrong with me.” Danielle repeats it several times, and the repetition makes it feel like she is trying to remind herself of something important. Going through grief, feeling overwhelmed or falling apart does not mean there is something wrong with you.

There is also a moment where she sings, “Oh child of mine please don’t be afraid.” It adds a more personal feeling to the song. While Danielle is dealing with her own pain, she is also thinking about how that pain affects her child.

The music helps carry these emotions without taking attention away from the lyrics. The combination of guitar and piano was one of the things that stood out to me most. The song has a medium tempo, while Danielle’s vocals keep the focus on what she is saying.

For a song about grief, I found “The Ache of Living” surprisingly comforting.

It does not try to make pain sound simple or pretend that everything gets better overnight. Instead, Danielle talks about learning to let things go. She sings about letting old feelings burn and “shed old skin, too worn too thin.” By the end, the song moves towards a different place with the words “For the sake of living.”

That ending feels important because the song is not only about what Danielle has been through. It is also about choosing to keep living through it.

“The Ache of Living” is also the latest single from Danielle Schroeder ahead of her upcoming EP, Later is Here. The Vancouver-based artist has taken something deeply personal and turned it into a song that can connect with anyone who has had to deal with loss.

If you have ever been through grief or simply enjoy songs that speak honestly about difficult feelings, give Danielle Schroeder’s “The Ache of Living” a listen.