Dutch singer-songwriter and storyteller Arend West transforms a painful period in his family history into a cinematic dark pop song, ‘Still Remains.’ In this introspective musical piece, the sixth track off album The Mirror Doesn’t Lie, he explores memory, personal identity, and emotional connections that endure despite changes in relationships.
From Geldermalsen, a town in the Netherlands, Arend West creates his unique solo musical projects based on true experiences and self-reflection. His music mixes vocals, piano, electronic sound, and orchestration to discuss such subjects as death, memory, self-actualization, and identity. Following the seven-year-old death of his mother, West starts a new stage in his life marked by deep reflection and self-analysis.
Song Review: The theme of ‘Still Remains’ is that of the connection between Arend West and his brother as well as how he still feels connected emotionally despite their breakup. In order to portray the tie between them, Arend represents the relationship as a chain invisible to the eye but which can be constructed out of their memories, expectations, hurtful words, and emotional baggage. The artist slowly detaches the ties that keep him chained to things from his past, “thread by thread,” removing those things from himself that don’t belong there anymore.
‘Still Remains’ further examines the theme of letting go in the absence of anger and bitterness. It conveys the idea that while the past is a part of a person’s history, it does not dictate their future anymore. It reveals the essence of the message—the distinction between familial ties and obligatory connections based on the notion that one’s loyalty or possession is a given because of the bond of blood.
