Music Review // Libby Ember "Shoes"

 

"Shoes" has a slow and deliberate pace to it.   With soft acoustics, the song also brings forth these strings which feel both sad and serious at the same time.   This is done because the song is about a topic which someone needs to discuss with someone else, but it needs to be both taken seriously but not feel too threatening or harsh in the delivery.  Libby Ember has managed to somehow capture both the mood of the situation and the tone of the conversation one would have about it, though at times the lyrics just seem like venting to a journal more than discussing your concerns with someone else.

The idea of this is about living with someone else, being in love with them, and they take forever to get ready.  That can sound like a not so serious issue but there are reasons behind this (which includes but are not limited to ADHD) and as this song says "Takes a couple of tries to get you out of bed" I feel like it is more about depression than anything else.  It's that way in which the person who is the subject of the song just doesn't feel motivated and has just sort of lost that spark for life.

This song is called "Shoes" because it's about how the person singing it has their shoes on and is out waiting in the car for what feels like hours before the other person is ready.  I get how this can be frustrating and there is a whole other underlying idea here of patience and having to wait, but what I do enjoy about this song is that it never feels judgmental.  It never feels like they are tired of waiting and if they continue to have to wait there is going to be some sort of ultimatum.  

Whether you have been in this situation before as someone who is the subject of the song or as someone who is singing the song, the important thing to remember here is that this song comes through so pleasantly because it is not an easy conversation to have, but it is something which feels supportive.  People often times already feel badly about making someone else wait, so to scold them over it or make it feel as if you're punishing them will just make them feel worse.  This is a nice way of singing that you understand and will continue to be supportive and loving.