Life In A Vivid Dream

Ratboys “My Hands Grow”

“I can’t tell you how hard I tried to love what I can’t describe,” Julia Steiner sings, as though she’s surprised by her own level of open-hearted optimism in this song. The lyrics of “My Hands Grow” mostly come across like reporting the details or a dream that, despite a lack of linear logic, resulted in a deeper and more joyful understanding of the world. The music is sunny but laid back, and feels a bit like the song might have been a little more bright and overbearing at first but the band opted to make it more gentle and chill. Steiner sounds so earnest, especially in the moments where it seems like she’s just trying to will a good vibe into reality. The closing line strikes me as particularly poignant: “I know that it’s hard to feel my love, just trust that all we’ve learned tonight is real.”

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