Artists You Should Know: AVIV Cradles an Escape and Keeps Her “Running Shoes” Close on New Single

Toronto-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist AVIV wanders readily for an escape on her new song “Running Shoes.” It’s the latest offering since the release of her debut EP DROWNING IN THE CULTURE which arrived last year. Now she’s back building the beginnings of a new project with recent singles like “Jimmy’s House” and “Blue-Eyed Boy.”

On “Running Shoes” she waxes tenderly about being trapped and surrounded by the empty company of people she just can’t seem to connect with. Her lushly introspective and melodic indie-pop caresses unspoken anxieties and a forlorn desire for companionship. “I could stay with you / Forget my other friends,” she coos lightly against soft strums and the distant glow of piano keys. “They don’t see me like you do / I don’t wanna fake a smile for them anymore.”

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Guided by AVIV’s dreamily affectionate lyricism, “Running Shoes” gives voice to that heartfelt and perhaps foolhardy desire to run away with the person who seems to understand you most. Someone who dispels the loneliness that creeps around you and who you could see yourself following to the ends of the earth — as it’s not the destination but their presence that you crave. As AVIV warmly sings on the song’s chorus: “I wore my running shoes / (If you) Say when / (Then) I could run with you.”