Music has to give us something to hope for. It’s escapism in its purest form, yes, but every great song has an uplifting element to it, even if it’s buried under the weight of pain. “Open Up a Window”, the single by Lavendine is very upfront with its uplifting abilities. It’s upbeat and poppy. It has “song of the summer” vibes with its memorable chorus, major key pop influences, and a strongly composed instrumental thanks in no small part to guitarist Greg Suran, bassist Sean Hurley and some strong yet subtle drum work by Blair Sinta.
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The vocals on the piece are fronted by Jacy and Jana Ayers, sisters whose bond is palpable through the track that they wrote alongside Daniel Ayers, Jacy’s husband. Describing the track as “God-kissed”, “Open Up a Window” carries the sister’s devout faith and finds a way to make it wholly accessible in a way, mainly from the fact that it’s just so darn endearing. Lyrically, it’s about the sisters maintaining their sense of hope and relief that knowing no matter how hard the world might great them, they’ll always find a way back on top. Lines like “It’s time to tell the heartache, you’re not mine, go away” make it abundantly clear, and while it’s not exactly a subtle song, that’s kind of the point.
The sisters have dealt with numerous setbacks, whether from discrimination within the music community, religious or not, as well as the fact that the two have had their fair share of what could only be described as traumatic health-related problems. I won’t go into too much detail on that, if only because it’s something that shouldn’t be the only takeaway from the song. The sisters aren’t making a track out of pity or sympathy. It’s a lyrical and sonic representation of their will, and it’s catchy and inspired.
Open up a Window
Listen to Open up a Window on Spotify. Lavendine · Single · 2021 · 1 songs.
You can almost feel the pair smiling in the recording studio as they lay their work out with the bridge “If you look for me, you will find me where I wanna be”. The ending of the song is particularly impactful with a reprise of the opening lines about opening the titular window, a very obvious metaphor for the heart, and the way it’s delivered in the end is almost chilling in how raw and intimate it is. As a straightforward piece, it’s incredibly satisfying to listen to and I think it’ll be a fan favorite for many people this year who want to feel inspired after the current state of things. It’s a track where should you drop any preconceived expectations, it’ll truly open up to you. It’s very easy to lament the bad things that happen to us, and that saying “why do bad things happen to good people” will always carry a real right to it, but the Ayers sisters aren’t preoccupied with the why.
It doesn’t matter to them. What matters is how they pick themselves up, and in turn, happily ask you to look inside yourself and find out how to as well. The end result is rather beautiful and the sisters should be very proud.
Clay Burton