Today’s Song: Idealism and Purpose in ALOK’s “Hear Me Now”

ALOK

All your fears will fade away, if you get to hear me now

Too often, pop music finds itself fumbling through age-old tales of love — loving someone else, losing the ones you love, loving the ones you lose. Rarely does a song ever acknowledge that you need to also love yourself, too, however. Modern pop music inherently acknowledges the other, but never the self. “Hear Me Now,” (Spinnin’ Records) an indie-pop dance tune by Brazilian artist ALOK and Bruno Martini, brings the self directly to the fore.

Listen: “Hear Me Now” – Alok and Bruno Martini feat. Zeebo
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/289117819″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

Racking up 151 million plus streams on Spotify, 2.6 million streams on SoundCloud, and over 45 million YouTube views, “Hear Me Now” is a glimmering success that has captivated the world over. The track is a menagerie of sonic styles, and invites anyone of any background to not only listen to the beauty of the song, but to also look inwardly at themselves. “Hear Me Now” feels ubiquitous, and enchants its listeners with a harmonious engagement seldom found in contemporary music.

Hear Me Now - ALOK, Bruno Martini artwork
Hear Me Now – ALOK, Bruno Martini artwork

The track is a dynamic sonic blend of acoustic guitar glazed over with a punctuating dance beat, tinged with the willing freedoms akin to driving around on late Saturday nights. Its upbeat instrumentals match its positive message, and curate a warmth that a prospective listener will feel to their core. There is an undeniable soul captured within the song, and listeners can’t help but feel the palpable and infectious energy.

“Hear Me Now” tells its listeners to always trek forward, and never look back. The future is bright; the future is open; the future is yours. The power is in you to make your life as great as you possibly can. The opening verse of the song croons:

Know you’ll get stronger
When you get older, oh
Just don’t shrug your shoulders
When you get older

Though things may not always go exactly according to planned, the only thing that matters is that you never allow mundanity to consume you. You cannot allow your life to just simply happen; you cannot simply exist and just accept the norm. To truly grow into the best possible version of yourself, you cannot be stagnant.

Life is always filled with fleeting moments of sanguinity, and it can be disheartening when the haze of comfort and joy disappears. It subsequently becomes much too easy to become trapped within banality, but as the song continues in the second verse:

Leave excuses aside
Speak out your mind, oh
And don’t let in slide
You’re not always right, no

Just because something doesn’t go exactly as planned, does not mean that it is an excuse to give up all together. You are the master of your own domain, and should be able to live your life to the absolute fullest. It’s not a simple feat, but it undoubtedly can be achieved with a little hard work and determination. Life always becomes what you make of it. As the song notes in the pre-chorus:

Things aren’t easy
So just believe me now
If you don’t keep it cool now
You’ll never make a sound

“Hear Me Now” tells us that life may not always be perfect, but it is so worth it. We become who we want to be based on our own accord, and no one else’s. As cliched as it is, this life is about pursuing passion, and finding happiness within yourself. It is entirely up to us to determine what we want, and how we want it. And at the end of the day, “All the lights will guide the way.”

stream/download “Hear Me Now” 

— — — —

Hear Me Now - ALOK, Bruno Martini artwork

Connect with ALOK on
Facebook, Twitter
Instagram
Discover more new music on Atwood’s Picks
“Hear Me Now” – ALOK and Bruno Martini
[youtube=https://youtu.be/JVpTp8IHdEg?t=0s]
More from Maggie McHale
Exclusive Premiere: The Fontaines Figure Out Love in “ii.”
elf-described as having distinctly “New-Wop” sounds, Los Angeles-based brother/sister duo The Fontaines...
Read More