With his new single, “heaven tonight,” the Canadian alt-pop gem Virginia To Vegas (Derik John Baker) takes us on a close journey toward calm, peace, and the kind of love that smooths the cracks on the surface of a chaotic world.
The song “heaven tonight,” feels like a warm exhale. It’s the kind of song you turn to when the contents of the outside world seem overwhelming when the scroll of headlines, messages, and to-do lists grows too big. Over sweet synth textures and a languorous groove, Virginia To Vegas neither preaches nor exhorts answers. Instead, he gives us the tiny, lovely bit of closing the door and choosing presence instead of pressure.
Those lyrics have a raw truth, and that same sensitivity flows through the veins of “heaven tonight.” The lyrics don’t aspire to grandiosity but convey a quiet night, the blinds closed, just you and someone who feels at home. Ben Johnson, Geoff Warburton, Michael Brandolino, and Baker co-wrote the song, which gleams with the experienced collaborators’ unmistakable polish. Brandolino and Baker’s production stays understated, allowing the emotion to guide. There’s a gentleness to the sound, the musical equivalent of dim lights and shared silence.
“heaven tonight” is not a hit for the dancefloor or some grand climax. It’s for the in-between when the world feels heavy, and you need to hold someone and drown out the noise. It’s about clearing a space for love when everything else seems too noisy. On this release, Virginia To Vegas continues to show his ability to pen songs that hit strong. “heaven tonight” is a reminder that, sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is switch off to the bad and switch on to the good, to love, to quiet, to one another.
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