Reconciliation in Winter: “Keepsake” by Brotality Song Meaning
How do you reconcile with someone when you recognize that you might have been the cause of the rift? According to songwriter Reece Maopolski, that’s the question Brotality’s new song “Keepsake” centers around — and it gives the listener a chance to think about the way rupture and repair in relationships can impact our mental health.
Committing to the healing process
Brotality is a metal band led by brothers Bryce and Reece Maopolski. Of the two, Reece is the bassist and primary lyricist, while Bryce plays guitar.
“In ‘Keepsake,’ I attempt to portray the fear and longing of separation within a loving relationship,” explains songwriter Reece. “Separation does not have to be an absolute, final severing. Experiencing the pain of separation and longing to draw the other person back to you across that distance is a heavy burden, especially when you feel responsible for that separation. The song wrestles with guilt, shame, self-loathing — that dark headspace when the burden of your own failures blots out anything positive. That feeling extends beyond relationships as well, but I think the pain of shame cuts deepest when you feel you’ve wounded someone you love.”
That sense of shame can, unfortunately, often lead us deeper into isolation: a self-imposed hibernation that intensifies depression and regret. But “Keepsake” reminds us that there is a better way, that we don’t have to stay trapped in the shame spiral.
Reece unpacks the lyrics further.
He says, “I think it was crucial for me to remember that in those really depressive, shameful feelings, hopelessness was not the answer. I forced a declaration out of myself: “right now this is terrible, but it won’t always be.’ The chorus comes out of that self-awareness and optimism:
This is a thread to mend the wound
“The spoken-word part is an extension of that affirmative optimism while acknowledging the pain of those emotions:
Sometimes, you are the only part of me I don't hate.
But you, I will love
“We make our struggles about us, but sometimes they’re really not,” Reece concludes. “That constant self-derogation of 'I messed up, I’m awful, I’m hurting because I deserve it’ is unhealthy. Ultimately, that only reinforces the negativity of the situation. In ‘Keepsake,’ I wanted to focus many of the statements about the ambiguous ‘you’ because this experience I’m describing was not even about ‘me,’ per se. It would be selfish of me to think so. Instead, I needed to heal and change myself because I care about the other person enough to put in that heavy work.”
“Keepsake” is a good reminder to the listener: if doing your own healing work feels hard, and if repairing a broken relationship feels difficult, you’re not alone, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Doing the work of emotionally showing up for yourself allows you to show up for others, and that is a particular kind of endurance.
“Healing is a constant, ever-changing process. Actually, it’s more the pursuit of healing than healing itself,” Reece adds. “The song ends with catharsis and affirmation, ‘We’ll meet in the clouds,’ as the instrumentals open and the guitar soars. Healing is a process, but committing to that process is the first step.”
Musical sunshine in winter
Musically, “Keepsake” feels as restorative as being in the sunshine in the middle of winter.
“This song is one of, if not our most positive, uplifting, and happy-sounding songs yet, and those songs always seem to come out of us in the depths of winter. Being from Upstate New York, we know all too well how everlasting the winter can feel, especially when it keeps us from doing our favorite things like mountain biking, swimming, hiking, insert-any-outdoor-activity-here,” Bryce Maopolski explain. “These aren’t just fun things for us- they actively improve our mental health and keep us joyful. When we’re in the dregs of a bitter winter, the importance of music becomes even more prevalent in all of our lives, and we rely on its power to give us those warm, sunny feelings.”
He continues, “Facing one of the coldest New York winters I can remember in 2024-2025, it’s as if my mind needed to be wrapped in writing a song that felt like sunshine. I needed to write parts that made me feel the warmth that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. This song did that. When we created each guitar layer, it was like throwing another heated blanket on or getting another ray of sunshine. This song picked us up and gave us life when the world around us looked cold, dead, and bleak. Rehearsing this song left us with huge smiles on our faces and a warmth from the music that we hadn’t felt anywhere else.”
Brotality’s message to you
Whether you’re struggling with a fractured relationship, a shame spiral, or any other kind of mental health challenge, Bryce and Reece from Brotality hope “Keepsake” is part of an ongoing conversation that they can continue to have with you. Bryce says:
“Any stage we take is an opportunity to let people know that they are loved, their life matters, and there is purpose for their existence. There are so many people who experience life without the simple knowledge that their life really does have value. If we can be a small voice of affirmation for them, that’s more important than any song we play.
“Simply: if you’re struggling right now, I want you to know that you are not alone. Truly. I’ve felt completely alone and suffered in silence through many struggles, and that is an impossible burden to carry by yourself. But thankfully, you don’t have to carry it. There are so many people in this world who see the value in your life and want to walk beside you, no matter how hard it gets. That’s why we love HeartSupport (and have loved HeartSupport for so many years): this scene cares about your life. You belong in this world, and I believe you exist for a reason, even if you can’t feel it most days.”
Be sure to join HeartSupport’s list for more opportunities to get plugged into the HeartSupport community and more stories behind mental health-focused songs like this one!
“Keepsake” lyrics
“The smoke in the rain
Hung with blight
You turn away
The fog in my eyes
Shrouding the love, the grace, the light
This is a thread to mend the wound
We will never get by, not without my blood
All that I have I offer you
Cast aside the weight of the sinner
You’re far beyond the earth while I sink in the flood
Rivers of love
Just to drown in my blood
Draw yourself inside the sun and know that you are home
The fog is in my eyes, and I can’t see you anymore. It’s in my throat, and I can’t taste your air. Sometimes, you are the only part of me I don’t hate. But you, I will love. In your cloud-dance, your chin lifting in the dawn, your skin warm in my eyes. Can you see me through the fog? Am I there beyond the mist? If you can hear me, I promise. I’ll meet you in the clouds, my love. I promise. I’m coming back.
Meet me in the clouds”
