Have you been feeling introspective today? Many of us do. How did life even get here? Growing old is never what we expect it to be. For many of us, it seems like the world is drained of its color. It’s just as full as it once was, but somehow, it feels emptier. Cliff Whitakker tackles the idea of getting older in a deep and chilling way in his latest Single ‘Skipping Stones’ featuring Xwags. If you’ve been feeling down over growing up, this is a song that you can surely find solace in.
‘Skipping Stones’ is an amazingly somber track that has such a smooth flow to it. The guitar sounds ethereal, and the vocals extend this energy with dreamy and atmospheric harmonies over top. This is a song that has a lot of emotion behind it that’s contrasted by the calmness it pulls you into. It’s like an escape, but it’s one that lets you feel the deep sadness behind it. The music does a great job at capturing those nostalgic moments, even when life seems to have weathered you so much.
As Cliff Whitakker puts it, “‘Skipping Stones’ is a song about growing up,” as “childhood dreams have become poisoned by cynicism and greed.” It’s about the pain and heartbreak we all feel as we get older, which is a universal topic to explore. The lyrics tell a tale of skipping stones and trying to rest in that nostalgia, but only finding cynicism as life isn’t as wondrous as you thought it would be. When we grow up, we lose people, we fall out of relationships, many of us experience some sort of great trauma. This is such a human process, and it’s something that can change us forever.
Cliff Whitakker is a musician, guitarist, and producer based in Miami Florida. He would describe his genre as pop, as it’s easy to listen to and works with catchy melodies. That being said, he doesn’t fail to delve into a range of genres to provide diversity and originality to his discography. In ‘Skipping Stones’ alone, sounds from R&B, blues, and hip-hop are all apparent. The production lends so much clarity to every aspect of this track, and the musicianship and lyricism don’t fail to astound. Skipping Stones is available now, and it’s more than worth the listen.
Written by Sage Plapp
