Melodic bass duo Crytal Skies have kicked off the new year by joining forces with Salt Lake City-based singer-songwriter SOUNDR on their new single, “Growing Pains“. The captivating new single serves as an immediate follow-up to the stellar recent release “Stardust” with Haliene which is bundled on the B-side.
“Growing Pains” is a cathartic journey that pulls at your heartstrings. SOUNDR anchors the track with ruminative lyrics that are both poignant and addictive. The combination blurs the lines between pop-centric and emotive, commanding repeat listens. Delicate string builds, wistful piano chords, and frothy arpeggiations drive the backing, offering a gripping and reflective sound palette. Futuristic melodies and spacey sound effects drift into a riveting melodic dubstep drop that sees colorful textures, and video-game-inspired synths that are offset by gargling synth swooshes. The track plays out as an intricate dance, shifting focus between the explosive drops and SOUNDR’s gripping vocal performance. “Growing Pains” is a bittersweet ballad that charters the feelings of growing apart and the need to keep moving forward.
Crystal Skies shares their excitement around the collab, saying, “We originally wrote this a year ago and knew it was something special. It had this feeling that we couldn’t quite quantify, and we knew it needed a special vocal. We had been wanting to work with Kate [SOUNDR] for a long time on a song, and this was absolutely the perfect fit. I can’t imagine working on this song with anyone else but her; her lyrics are deep, moving, and genuinely beautiful. To us, it’s a return to form and the quintessential Crystal Skies.”
SOUNDR chimes in to shed light on the song’s meaning: “When Crystal Skies sent over this instrumental, I knew it needed a nostalgic storytelling vocal; something that we could all find ourselves in. I was staying with my good friends in Jacksonville and wrote the vocal with Lauren in just over an hour. It really was the instrumental telling us exactly what it needed to say, and it ended up being one of my most favorite songs I’ve ever written. The visual of coffee rings and keys missing from their place, and an empty house you used to share pulls you into the story—deep into the feeling of moving on in life even when you don’t want to, even when it is poignant and painful. ‘Growing pains’ are one of life’s constants. We keep pushing out of our current paradigm, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to chase down what calls to us. This song is so much more than just a breakup narrative. It expresses what we all experience. When your purpose calls to you, nothing can stop you. Even when it hurts to say goodbye. Even when it hurts to grow. It’s just ‘Growing Pains.’”