Are We There Yet? – A Sweet Victory for the 2022 Progression of Artist Adriel Rivera

Photo via Adriel Rivera’s Facebook

In this 2022 EP release Are We There Yet?, 21 year old Adriel Rivera explores different ideas involving romance, the passage of time, money, and personal growth. 

This project comes as no surprise since Adriel Rivera has been sticking to his approach of releasing one new song the 25th of every month. This year, he extended this endeavor by also releasing over a dozen music/lyric videos. Are We There Yet? holds four previously released tracks along with two new songs hot off the press.

“WHEN I MET YOU, DEAR“– This song sets the tone for love-centered ideas that touch lightly on nostalgia. Rivera creates a sonic atmosphere that guides the listener towards his personal memories and feelings through a path of reflection. A piano and synth lead this voyage – adding a soft texture and vibe of a pleasant experience. Lyrically, Rivera recognizes an unmatched comfort previously found in a no-longer-existent relationship he matured through. This introduction to the project is gradually closed off by the answer to the posed question: “Are We There Yet? No, not yet.”

“To Her”– The ideas around a familiar love, established in the previous song, is rebooted and instrumentally recalibrated to resemble the action of awakening from a sad dream. Rivera takes a short dive to reveal details on the loss of love through the lyrics “I don’t miss you, I just miss who I thought that you were.” The vocals are delivered with a warm yet sorrowful falsetto that softly melts through a slow tempo guitar. These ruminations describe the possibility of finding love once again with the knowledge that a past lover has already done so for themselves.

“Promise of a parachute“– Rivera’s familiar song structure and uplifting instrumentals are present in this song. A tuning of strings is transformed to a bouncy beat and paired with even bouncier drum effects resulting in a groovy song. Rivera’s self-analysis is taken up a notch as he finds himself in the territory of searching for love. The doubts that come along with that journey are clearly underlined with the line: “I get high on love, and that makes me panic.” We are treated to a tone change that serves as a soft departure from the instrumental as if we are watching palm trees swaying.

“Pawn”– A switch back to discussing a lover’s quarrel leads to a realization in this song. A clever metaphor is used to explain Rivera’s position in the fight for love: “you treat me like a pawn when I act as your knight.” The chess analogy is used to depict a battle between the reality of the situation and the familiar feeling of hope for rekindling love. Though the lyrics lean more into feelings of betrayal and misuse, the beats of this song holds it as a classic feel-good song. 

“Losing My Mind”– Rivera felt an imbalance within himself because of his finances in this song. Seemingly not a new situation for Rivera, he expresses a tiredness of it with the line “the stress I feel is so insane.” With this highly relatable concept, Rivera counters the popular saying “Money can’t buy happiness” with the line (translated) “they say happiness can’t be bought, but in reality – that is a lie.” Though incorporating Spanish into his music is not a new thing for Rivera , it serves a surprising hidden tidbit for listeners.

“Todo Es Diferente”– A cool drumbeat jolts the listener away from the ladder track and establishes this song as the final period of the EP. Rivera vocalizes his coming-of-age journey with swiftly delivered lyrics in Spanish indicating that everything is different. Latin pop influences can be heard with the increased rhythm snare and bass completing the instrumental. Though incorporating Spanish is not new for Rivera, he has indicated he used the creation of this song as a challenge for him to get a better grasp of the language.

Listen to Adriel Rivera’s Are We There Yet? EP on Spotify and YouTube.