“There You Are” is a gentle, heartfelt track from New Zealand-based group In The Shallows. The song is a stunning blend of glowing instrumentation with lyrics that guide us through a profound personal life lesson.
This song recalls memories of the music that came out of Laurel Canyon in the late-1960s – groups like the Mamas & the Papas, the Byrds, and CSNY. In The Shallows would have fit right in among these artists with their soaring harmonies, introspective lyrics, and a beautiful mixture of acoustic and electric instruments. In “There You Are,” all of these elements marry within the music to create a vibe that transports you to a happy place, wherever that is for you. The communal atmosphere grown from the rhythm section is like a warm hug. Guitars (both acoustic and electric), keyboards, and drums are all economical in their playing to make the choruses feel markedly larger than the verses without changing their dynamics – a characteristic of masterful musicianship.
The sunny, euphoric music is juxtaposed with a melancholy that lingers in the melody because there’s a lesson to learn here – life isn’t always good times. You’ll have bad times too and you can’t avoid them: “Wherever you go, there you are.” Whether it’s sadness, adversity, heartbreak, or the end of the world, you will inevitably face them and it is crucial to be able to confront these things because that’s part of living. They just need to be faced with the certitude that you’ll come out of it on the other side a better, stronger person. That’s the human experience.
In The Shallows have such a strong grasp of what their sound is, and it is delightful to hear a group play with such passion and conviction. Keep an eye on this band because after hearing “There You Are”, you’ll be begging for more.
Written by Tim Clark
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