Réa - 'Noordwijk' — When The Horn Blows

Edmonton songstress Réa (Andrea Shipka) explores the lasting effects of grief on deeply emotive cut, ‘Noordwijk’.

Opening with the nostalgic lyrics, “Take me back to that place where the sun set meets the waves” Réa draws influences from the oceanside village of Noordwijk on her current single. While the timeless sophistication of ‘Milan’ shines through, Réa treats her listener to smoother singer songwriter pop hooks on her new single.

‘Noordwijk’ is a track that rises and falls with its own expansive tides of emotion, begging its listener to bellow along to its aching chorus, “no matter what I do, it always comes back to you”. Réa’s atmospheric vocal is intimate and evocative as she reflects on the shudders of grief that still wash over us, even years since someone has passed. Like the ocean, grief can create small gentle ripples of longing in us, or has the ability to make us feel like we’re drowning.

There’s an interesting use of experimentation here in vocoder-type vocal segments in the second half of the track. These vox effects mark an interlude of sorts before they layer behind Réa’s vocal on the track’s triumphant and cinematic two-part climax. While the vocal manipulation is unexpected, it accentuates the melancholy in the lyrical theme and adds a powerful new dimension to the grief being exhibited.

A tremendously beautiful cut that is made so much more profound because of its universally relatable theme.

Words of Karla Harris

’Noordwijk’ is taken from Réa’s upcoming 2021 debut EP ‘Atlas’ which is set to be “a nostalgic exploration of place and time’ with each cinematic soundscape themed around particular cities.