The music for Sunrise on the Reaping will really wreck us all emotionally before we even see the movie.

On “Favor,” Gigi Perez sings a mournful ballad that perfectly evokes Lenore Dove’s character in Sunrise on the Reaping. As a descendant of the Covey, folk music is a major form of expression for her. the folk elements of “Favor” honor that. “Favor” is a direct response to Noah Kahan’s “Draw You Out,” the lead single from the album, which is from Haymitch’s perspective about Lenore Dove.

Removing the song from its Hunger Games context doesn’t diminish its quality at all. The lyrics are beautifully poetic, and would stand on their own without the story they come from. Without thinking about Panem, Haymitch, Lenore Dove, or anything else from that universe, the song is mournful, nostalgic, and a little bit hopeful. It follows a relationship that was torn apart by external forces, with the knowledge that the messages they left each other will never die.

The music is atmospheric, cinematic indie-folk, and Gigi Perez’s voice sells it perfectly. Her voice has a beautiful quality, and her use of dynamics and intensity follows the music and lyrics beautifully.

I do like “Draw You Out” a bit better, but I still love “Favor.” I can’t wait for the rest of the songs from Sunrise on the Reaping to come out.

You can watch the lyric video for “Favor” below.

Emma Platt