Summerdrive shared its new single “Shimmer” today. A showcase of the band’s alternative-rock, indie pop, and 80s-inspired synthpop sound, “Shimmer” is a warm, nostalgic track about the ways that we chase memories and how those feelings change shape over time.
“The overarching idea of the song is chasing a feeling that has faded, whether you like it or not,” Summerdrive said in a statement about the song. “Visiting the places that you’ve been with someone, whether it be a friend or partner, and those places not holding the same meaning as they once did. Ultimately realizing that sometimes it’s out of our control how these things end up.”
With a song so wrapped in reliving and remembering. We had to find out what that feeling looks like to each member of Summerdrive. Here’s what they had to say:
Jake Stam: Briefly and bluntly, these days reliving or remembering a past time is either total beauty or entirely painful; with little to no gray area between the two.
Matt Montgomery: Oftentimes a certain sound, view, taste, or smell can bring me right back to a certain moment in time or make me recall a vivid memory. When this type of thing happens, I’m normally overtaken by a rush of nostalgia. It’s usually a bittersweet feeling because it feels pleasant and comforting to think back on these memories, but it quickly fades when you realize that moment in your life has come and gone. I think it’s healthy to look back on the past and experience nostalgia in doses, but it’s important to live in the present and look forward to the future.
Tim Coakley: The feeling of nostalgia comes to me when the way a person or situation made me once feel still lingers, even though the moment’s over or the person is gone. I also tend to romanticize a person or event even if it wasn’t good for me. Something about the present makes me miss the past, and that loss of perception always inspires a new song.
“Shimmer” brings all of these feelings together, not only as a collage of the band’s understandings of memories and nostalgia but also as a lyrical representation of Jake’s experiences. “This song is sort of how I used to write lyrics. It’s more of a collage and culmination of a few different memories with similar meaning and outcomes as opposed to one single story. Kind of helps to break out the mental red yarn, string them together and connect the dots. So it’s not really written about one particular person or time.”
Jake calls “Shimmer” “the perfect representation of the future of this band. Written by Jake and Tim (he wrote the chorus) and inspired by Jake’s “scattered stories,” Jake said, “The production, writing, and execution are all such a step up from anything we’ve done before. Everything we have in our pipeline holds strong to that new standard as well. I think that hard work is apparent in these songs and I’m excited for people to experience the product of that labor.”
You can listen to “Shimmer” now on your favorite streaming platform.
