A warm, mellow song full of vulnerability and self-acceptance, Delafaye’s new single “These Days” is a raw, real-life reflection on figuring things out.
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“It’s okay to be lost; most people are.” Truth rings deep through these words as Delafaye observes the everyday struggle to manage life’s mania. It’s true: Most of us are lost, caught up in a thicket of weeds and just trying to figure things out one day at a time. These are the feelings we tend to bury; the emotional goings-on we hide from our friends when we tell them “everything’s fine,” in lieu of burdening them with our real stories. A warm, mellow John Lennon-like ballad full of vulnerability and self-acceptance, Delafaye’s new single “These Days” is a raw, real-life reflection on figuring things out.
It’s a shame you see
I’m not ashamed to be
What you say about me
The truth is lonely
I stay up late, don’t sleep
I fill my days with weed
Sit around and wait for me
But I won’t be there
Listen: “These Days” – Delafaye
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/470188074?secret_token=s-rxRNW” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “These Days,” the latest single off Delafaye’s long-awaited debut album, Delafaye (set for release December 2018.) The moniker for Louisville, Kentucky native Andrew Shockley, Delafaye blends a mild grit deep into the heart of mellow, folky rock music: Armed with a smoky voice full of aching emotion, the singer/songwriter builds warm sounds around deceptively simple lyrics that say exactly what they need to say. Following last week’s song release “Go Away Just to Stay” – a little acoustic rock ditty blending love and hardship, nostalgia and desire – “These Days” takes a dive inward as the artist explores his own state of mind and how he relates to the world at large.
I know we always run away from things
I don’t know where I’m supposed to be
These days
“It’s a reflection of my current mental state,” Delafaye says of “These Days,” in acknowledgement of his song’s relative lyrical directness. “Having this expectation put on you by society or the media to live up to a certain hype and just not caring to. It’s okay to be lost; most people are.”
“These Days” is beautifully expressive poetry with a message everyone can benefit from. Who among us hasn’t felt adrift in the muckery of life at some point over the past week? Does anyone really have their shit together?
I live my life in peace
A puzzle piece you seek
It’s like a game you play
And you can never win
I took a shot for pain
Propane and gasoline
I blew it up for free
But I’m still filthy
Whether you’re a teenager discovering yourself for the very first time, a twenty-something learning how to survive independently (while growing and learning new things about yourself along the way), a thirty-something trying balance flux with routine, and so on, no one is ever truly ‘settled,’ in any traditional sense of the world. We’re all just breathing, eating, and adapting – making things up as we go along, and hoping we nail the landing gracefully.
What Delafaye truly excels at is the admission. It’s hard for anyone to confess to a life in shambles; we see one another’s smiling face, and assume everyone else has their life figured out; that we’re the only ones drowning in a tumultuous mess. The truth is murkier – for behind every smiling face is a frown, a cry, a laugh, and a sigh… We are all in this together: Though we may be weathering different storms, our stories are far more similar than we realize, and if we can only open up ourselves and let others inside, we’ll find it’s a lot easier to get through the everyday and make it out alive
I know we always run away from things
I don’t know where I’m supposed to be
These days
A beautiful ballad shining with warmth and charisma, “These Days” captures the everyday struggle, reminding us we’re not alone, and that everything is going to be okay: We don’t need to have an answer for everything. No one expects us to.
Relax folks; everything is going to be just fine.
Stream Delafaye’s “These Days” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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? © Julia Popp
