The last time that we featured Tara Van, she wanted us to align with a conscious universe in her connected single, Hello Human, so when we heard that the spiritually-inclined star was back with Miles On It, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Miles On It opens with a sublime vocal performance from Tara Van as she sings, “It’s hard to see you go, sitting listening to the radio, laying low from all the told you sos, don’t it all get all get old you know… this world is sink or swim… oh we put some miles on it, miles, miles miles…”
The production is divine with acoustic guitar and textured drums as Tara Van delivers her philosophical depth. There is a warm, almost sun-drenched quality to the composition. Beneath that warmth sits a gentle melancholy and raw authenticity. Aligned with the single artwork and video, it most certainly feels like driving somewhere with the windows down whilst looking back at everything that brought us to this moment.
At its heart, Miles On It is a meditation on impermanence, but created in a relatable way that can actually appeal to the mainstream. Tara Van asks us to appreciate the life whilst we are still here. Sure, a beautiful road eventually changes and an old car eventually breaks down. A first love may not last forever, but that does not make the experience any less meaningful.
This sentiment gives the song a surprisingly uplifting quality. It’s about acceptance and trusting the ebbs and flows of life. Tara Van embraces the idea that nothing is meant to last forever. The repeated mantra of having “put some miles on it” becomes almost a philosophy for living. We could easily imagine Miles On It accompanying a cinematic road-trip sequence in a TV show like Crew Girl or films like The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, and Nomadland.
The collaboration with Mark Calderone also plays a major role here. Their creative relationship began through Tara Van‘s other career in massage therapy before developing into a musical partnership, and Miles On It marks their fourth project together. Tara describes Mark as someone who helps “organize my chaos”, bringing structure to her free-flowing songwriting while allowing space for experimentation. We can hear that balance throughout the track.
Tara philosophically says, “We are living in a very nostalgic time and this song is very much inspired by the idea that nothing lasts. It’s pretty easy to get bummed out thinking about the things we love not lasting forever but I chose to add my ever present optimism to the subject by emphasizing the enjoyment of the time we had. No that beautiful scenic road, that stunning landscape, that old car, that old radio, that first love didn’t last but oh did we ever put some miles on it. Nothing is meant to last forever.”
Needless to say, we are enchanted by Miles On It and have added the track to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we await the release of Tara Van’s EP of the same name, arriving on October 16th!