Singer-songwriters using music as a means for personal confession is a move that’s about as original as the new Godzilla reboot. But Timothy Showalter, who performs under the moniker Strand of Oaks, knows a thing or two about confession — and a thing or five about writing music.
His latest single, “Shut In,” is a song riddled in substance and loneliness told by a man who’s ripped himself out of his self-inflicted rut. The track’s drums are monumental, recalling the heaviness of the past; the guitars are soaring things, showcasing the clear path that lies ahead. And over it all there’s Showalter’s booming voice, bellowing out about the long-gone days where he used to feel more sorrow than one can soberly stand.
If this sounds like a lot to take it in, it is. “Shut In” is a track made to move you — and seeing as how it ends with a halting out-of-nowhere drumroll shot, it probably will. Perhaps the way “Shut In” somberly bows out is Showalter’s way of reminding us not to fly too close to the sun. Perhaps it’s simply his way of reminding himself.