“Hiding from the Rain” is a melodic track from Heather Gruber, who first caught my ear last year with the album Dance into the Desert. The Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter impresses with a calming, catchy aesthetic here. Strings and light piano intertwine past the one-minute mark, for dramatic and effective results. Gruber’s vocals maintains a serene, whimsical enjoyment throughout. The “as we’re sinking,” hook plays delightfully, with an additional key-laden effervescence — building to the title-referencing hook.
Gruber elaborates in detail on the track below:
“I originally wrote this song as a type of free flow. I came up with the chords first, then the melody, and then the words came out in a stream of consciousness.
This one puzzled me, as it didn’t come directly from a personal story that I had lived.
The premise of the song is about a relationship. The imagery is of two lovers walking into the ocean, hands held high and frolicking in ecstasy and beautiful promises. As they float out into the depths, they begin struggling to stay afloat; then the rain comes and they get lost beneath the waves, unable to distinguish which way is up due to the turmoil of the rain falling on the water’s surface. This symbolizes conflict in a relationship, fear and toxic patterns that remove clarity and stability from a situation. The chorus emphasizes that they choose to cope with the chaos of the situation by “Hiding from the Rain” – thus avoiding their problems and attempting to numb out the resulting pain and turmoil. Towards the end of the song, it is emphasized that clarity can only be found after they stop hiding from their problems and choose to face them head on.
After sitting with this song for a few years, I recognize that it not only highlights patterns in unhealthy relationships I have experienced in the past, but even alludes to the internal conflict I’ve had in my relationship with myself in dealing with self-doubt, insecurity, anxiety, and depression, as these toxic traits can make life feel just as tumultuous as an external relationship.
I also feel that during this intense cultural climate, the imagery of getting lost under the water’s surface feels familiar. The heavy rain clouding the lines between what has always been and what could be. Feeling stuck under the waves, slightly out of control, and sometimes lost as to how to get your head above water again. Fighting for clarity in the murky chaos.
I feel that the tone of this song can resonate with many peoples’ turbulent emotions in this impactful time of shifting. “
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“Hiding from the Rain” and other memorable tracks released this past June can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of June 2020’ Spotify playlist.
