At the funeral of Hamish Fenton, the 14-year-old Rye resident who died of a rare cancer in June, Hunter Gillies had an epiphany.
“While I was sitting in the church, a beam of purple light hit me on the chest,” Gillies recalled.
The incongruity of such beauty entering an unbearably sad setting inspired Gillies to meditate on how a life of light and laughter could be so senselessly cut short – and what we can learn from that.
It also inspired a song whose first line – “The morning light against the glass…” – reflected that special moment.
On Friday, Summer Project, Gillies’s indie-rock band composed of Rye High School alumni, released “Purple,” a song about love, loss, time, and memory.
Purple was Fenton’s favorite color.
Gillies wrote the song, which was sung by bandmate Becca Elsen, another RHS alum. Along with Gillies, 19, a guitarist who is a freshman at University of Mary Washington, and Elsen, 21, a singer who is a senior at University of Miami, Summer Project includes: singer and lead guitarist Gordon Hargraves, 21, a junior at Northeastern University; drummer Jesse Stigliano, 20, a junior at University of Colorado Boulder; keyboardist Ty Bibas, 20, a junior at University of Southern California; and guitarist and bassist Jack Morrissey, 20, a junior at Miami University Ohio.
The song is dedicated to and inspired by Fenton, who died after a three-year battle with NUT Carcinoma, a rare pediatric cancer.
The band will donate all proceeds from the single to the Hamish’s Difference Foundation, established by the Fenton Family to find a cure, to support patients and families, and to increase awareness of the illness.
Fenton’s death struck a deep chord with all who knew the vibrant RMS eighth grader, and many across the Rye community. Friends and family described him as someone who approached life and every challenge with resilience, tenacity, courage, and a sense of humor.
His death left a community shaken.
“I am honored and grateful to be a part of something like this,” said Elsen, who graduated from Rye High School in 2023.
Though not all members of Summer Project knew Fenton personally, they all were students at Rye High when he was diagnosed, and they feel a connection to him and his family. The young musicians see the song as a gift to Rye, as well as the Fentons’ homeland, Australia.
“Hamish always had a smile,” Gillies said. “He showed everyone how to live life to the fullest.”
Gillies, who joined the band in 2026, knew Fenton as the younger brother of his two close friends, Archer and Jagger Fenton, both stars of Rye’s state champion football team.
“One thing I remember most about Hamish was how much he cared for and supported his brothers,” Gillies said. “He was always in the stands screaming the loudest for his brothers. You could hear his voice above all others.”
While the death of a child can defy words, Gillies said it was the words, symbols, and images that came to him while writing that helped him process the shock, grief, and loss that he, his friends, and his hometown experienced.
“The sky turned red/the leaves let go/and all we had was all we’d know,” he wrote in reference to the autumn when Fenton was diagnosed.
“At the deepest level, ‘Purple’ is about realizing that you never truly know how much time you or the people you love have,” Gillies said, “and because of that, you shouldn’t wait to tell people you love them.”
While the song asks listeners to reflect on loss, grief, and the swift passage of time, Gillies and his bandmates give Fenton the last note. As the song ends, Fenton’s laughter can be heard in the background.
“The song isn’t about forgetting Hamish – it’s about carrying his memory forward through the way you live,” Gillies said. “The song starts with the purple light at the funeral, but ends with Hamish’s laugh when he was alive. It’s about love, memory and the choice to keep living while carrying someone with you.
“It’s what Hamish would have wanted.”
“Purple” is available on all music platforms.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/78qvSO0Ly3k2Tu9WLtCpBK?si=6VGc_pbLQiivnR00ON_vkQ&utm_source=sms
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/purple-single/6816273128
