Avaraj – “The Dive”
Avaraj – “The Dive” – Single Review
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One of the toughest thing artists tend to go through is communicating the parts of life that bring them down with the right level of energy…to upbeat and it’ll seem insincere, and if it’s too on-point, it’ll make a two-minute track feel like four. “Life can be so draining” at times – Avaraj has got that right. Her new single “The Dive” details the struggle of the daily grind in a variety of ways. On the one hand, it’s surely relatable…I think we can all understand where she’s coming from on “The Dive” – and that’s a positive. On the other hand, it can be genuinely hard to convince listeners to come back to a song that plays out like a laundry list of complaints…and I’ll admit, I think that’s a bit of a factor here on this single. I always appreciate it when an artist puts themselves into their music in a way that seems authentic like this does – so believe me, I do dig that Avaraj is being real with us, even if I also think there’s still a more effective way to go about it. When it comes to “The Dive,” she’s tapped so far into the melancholic despair that occurs when dreams don’t come to fruition fast enough, that she ends up mired in a performance that arguably echoes that energy a little too much, you feel me? When you read through her bio online, you get the sense that she’s seriously inspired TO inspire…and with respect to that particular mission she’s on, it feels like “The Dive” shoots a bit wide of the mark for the kind of material she’s looking to create.
And sometimes that happens. And that’s okay! We live, and we learn.
Like an actor being consumed by the character they’re playing, singers can fall into the same plight as well if they’re not too careful. This can be a great thing when you’ve got yourself an upbeat tune with an easy to absorb hook, of course. When you’re in a downtrodden mood, or being too critical on a self-reflective kind of day, that energy can feel the opposite of inspired. Objectively, I feel like that’s what somewhat stops “The Dive” from making the impact that Avaraj would like to make with it. From what I’m hearing on this side of the speakers, she’s singing/rapping her way through this song, but the spark is missing…and we actually need that to exist if the summation of this song is going to land like it should. Nothing that another couple run-throughs in the studio wouldn’t solve – but as it stands right now, the words are missing that punch they should have in order to be as inspiring as they’re intended to be. If there was a more variable energy fluctuating between her pointing out things like how tough it can be to get away for a break in a 9-5 world, verses how important and crucial it is to take “The Dive,” in my opinion, it would help serve the song better and tell our ears what the real message of the song actually is. Right now, the weariness of the grind is completely on par with the need to take “The Dive” and do the work to get the self-care, time, and rejuvenation we would all want for ourselves – and should it be? In my personal opinion, these two different themes should be separated by some kind of different vibe, whether it’s the cadence of her words, the spirit in her performance, or differences made in the music.
Which presents another way you can look at this single. To be honest with ya, I don’t think that Avaraj has given herself enough time for this particular theme…we’re just scratching the surface of “The Dive” before time runs out. Not that everything on earth NEEDS to be covered on the inside of a single song – but with respect to this particular concept and what Avaraj is detailing here – she’s got great stuff added in when it comes to what makes life difficult – I think we’d all pick up on what she’s laying down in that regard. But to the point I’m making – what exactly does it mean to take “The Dive?” What are the benefits? What does it change? How would we do that? What does it look like? Trust me, I do get where she’s coming from on a metaphorical level, and I understand the implications of what she’s suggesting – all I’m saying is that if she used the same level of detail she’s applied to her struggles as she could use to describe how to overcome them/why it would be so beneficial for everyone to take “The Dive,” she’s get that much more of a connection between the listeners and the concept of this song. We all get what she means by suggesting she takes “The Dive” – but that’s really the easy part, because the metaphor is familiar, and it essentially handles all those details through suggestion & implication alone.
It’s the difference between diving into the shallow end, versus diving into the deep, metaphorically.
Look…two minutes is a very short amount of time to get any kind of message across whether you’re rapping it out or otherwise…I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t sell yourself short or cut your idea off too quickly. If there’s more to say, and it needs more bars for you to say it, that’s not a cue to wrap things up – that’s the cue to add more to the music so that you can, or save the concept for another time. At least that’s the way I see it I suppose. Do I get where Avaraj is coming from in what she’s put into “The Dive?” Of course I do – you will too – it’s highly relatable, and that’s its best attribute for sure. But with respect to the mission she’s on as an artist, I think she’s got the ability to establish an even stronger connection between what she’s bringing up and how we could go about making life better by focusing in on striking that inspirational tone she’s looking to create, and making sure that’s the priority.
Find out more about Avaraj at this handy multi-link right here: https://linktr.ee/AvarajMusic
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