“When My Phone Dies” by Rainlights – A Song Feature

 

       It’s a song about sudden loss of a loved one – your smartphone. “When My Phone Dies” is a gentle, slow-tempo accounting of thoughts when the device no longer permits access to others and their posted content. The instrumentation is typically minimalist, but includes attention-grabbing moments, such as the unexpected brief surge at 1:33. The vocals are powerful without being dramatic. The harmony during the chorus is particularly appealing.
 
      Rainlights is the performance name of Rachel Chevat, who is based in New York, but spent two years in London to obtain a master’s degree in Audio Production. So, it isn’t surprising that “When My Phone Dies” is self-produced and self-mixed. In explaining the single, Chevat said it’s about the feeling of being alone with no access to distractions:
   "One day last summer, while sitting on my bed and scrolling through my phone, my screen went black. Instead of immediately grabbing a charger, I looked up from the screen and let the silence of my room wash over me. I hadn’t been home in nearly two years. It was the longest I’ve ever been away. I was living in London and creating a life for myself there. The only thing that made New York (home) still feel tangible was my phone. That’s how I saw the faces of family and friends, that’s how I heard their voices and stayed connected to their lives. 
If I told you I loved you with a paper and a pen, would it feel more real than this neon blue message? That’s the question I sat with when my phone died."
 
     “When My Phone Dies” by Rainlights

Lyrics of “When My Phone Dies” by Rainlights

When my phone dies
My eyes don't know where to look
So I stare out at the wall
Straight past the books
 
And imagine you are near
Till my visions blurred with tears
When my phone dies
My eyes don't know where to look
 
When my phone dies
My eyes turn into a thread
And they lace through empty space
Across this bed
Where I picture that our skin
Can still be interwoven
When my phone dies
My eyes turn into a thread
 
But if I wrote you a letter
Sent it across the ocean
If I told you
I loved you with a paper and a pen
Would it feel more real
Than this neon blue message?
When my phone dies and I'm on my own again
 
When my phone dies my eyes don't know who I am
So I study all the creases in my hands
And the moment feels long, but the power comes back on
And I go back to the place where I began
 
But if I wrote you a letter
Sent it across the ocean
If I told you
I loved you with a paper and a pen
Would it feel more real
Than this neon blue message?
When my phone dies and I'm on my own again
 
When my phone dies and I don’t know who I am
When my phone dies and I'm on my own again