Memory is one of the most powerful forces we have access to. Particular scents, sights, or scenes can transport us directly back into our past. While the images may be slightly frayed at the edges, they feel as real as they did at the time. On his latest single Checkered Vans, Reece Ratliff processes memory through sparkling hooks and warm synth.
Using cadence as his conduit, Ratliff unfurls vivid recollections of the past within the comforting walls of pop. His words are anecdotal in the most sensory way, leaving the audience completely immersed in the scene he has painted. Like music’s greats, his melodies can be visualised, his words felt, and Checkered Vans adored by all who listen to it.
Reece Ratliff has spun a song into cinema on his latest single. While you may not directly relate to the scene painted in Checkered Vans, it will feel like your own memory by the time the last note is played.
Recorded in COVID-19 lockdown, the 17-year-old, Delaware-native held nothing back when writing the track. While his upcoming material has been in the works for a while, you can really pinpoint where the added downtime has allowed for deeper reflections in his music.
“You know, this is definitely not how I pictured myself tracking the vocals on this project, but I’m so grateful to Matt and the team for making it all possible,” Ratliff revealed in a behind-the-scenes vlog on the track. “Now I’m just excited to get it out into the world.”
Checkered Vans really speaks our collective experience in lockdown; a period where we have spent more time escaping in the past rather than in the present. Ratliff’s vulnerability on the track speaks directly to this; melted through synth-heavy melodies, anthemic hooks, and sparkling notes. His voice is warm yet expressive, unfurling heartbreak through his descriptive lyricism.
As for the song’s title character, the checkered Vans aren’t so much a shoe as they represent the lush agony of memory and nostalgia. “On the hood of your dad’s new Benz. In the rain, our song on the radio. You and me holding hands, damn those checkered Vans,” Ratliff sings in the single’s chorus.
The song’s pop structure and lyricism almost seem to wash away all other emotions, leaving longing as the protagonist. Where skeletal synth allows for his words to cut deeper, the chorus quickly swells to fill any sonic gaps with rich textures of experience. Checkered Vans is soft yet burns through in the most needed moments. It’s the song you remember days after you listen to it.
Checkered Vans is the first single off the singer’s debut album Compass. Have a listen below:
