Waiting on a tidal wave to come take me. I’ve been stuck in the in-between of a raging sea. Afraid of reaching out.
We put in our time. We did our four years of college (give or take). We got our degree(s). Now we’re supposed to be adults. We’re supposed to have everything figured out. Our careers should be on the rise. We should be financially independent. Happy. With a vibrant social life. In a stable relationship.
Instead, most of us find ourselves in a very different situation. Life is much more complicated than our twenty-two year-old, wide-eyed, diploma-in-hand selves envisioned.
Welcome to the twentysomething life.
The good news? There’s someone who gets it: Rebecca Roubion. The young indie pop artist out of Nashville just released her first LP: Sleepless Nights. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the release here at Cecilia, and it did not disappoint. The work put into the vocals and rhythms shows in every song. In her own words, “the theme of the album is the battle between fear and peace, one I think we all fight. It’s about the questions we all face – who are we, and where are we headed? What do we really want?”
The track “Sometimes” captures the impatience of wanting to accomplish everything our college selves imagined of young adulthood. That in-between period: adult, but not yet; independent, but not completely; working, but far from our career goals.
Waiting on a tidal wave to come take me.
I’ve been stuck in the in-between of a raging sea.
Afraid of reaching out,
But lately I’ve been weighing whether to drown or find safety.
Sometimes it just takes some time.
The waiting game is the hardest time.
I’m tired of sitting safely on the sidelines.
And the ironic loneliness of the twenty-first century: having a thousand friends on Facebook but nobody who’s there when life isn’t as bright, shiny, and smooth as the latest Instagram filter would make it appear. We change our status and shoot out a tweet. We get reactions and likes. But is anyone really listening? The chorus of “Don’t know who I am” is raw:
Someone call.
Someone call.
Someone call.
I don’t know who I am at all.
Can anyone hear what I’m saying?
Of course there’s young love. Roubion covers the spectrum: infatuation, confusion (I just want to know what’s going on in his head!), betrayal and revenge, and a deeper connection that gives us hope. “You’re my living proof / Whenever I just can’t believe / You’re my living proof / When we’re together heaven is mine.”
Then there are those times when you just have to dance it out. Cue “Sleepless Nights” (featured above). “Get over here and let your body feel this beat / Just take my hand and spin me round and round / No, no I don’t care if you think you have two left feet.” It will certainly have you dancing along.
The entire album comes together in the song “I’ll be alright.” It returns to the themes of uncertainty and patience: “When will the sky turn blue? / When will we know the truth? / When will we find the page to turn to?” But the final word? I’ll be alright.
We’ll be alright.
To pick up the album, head over to iTunes. And to keep up with the latest from Rebecca you can find her on Facebook.
Libby Reichert
And today we celebrate...