by Niko Skinner

River Tiber, December 2022 (Killbeat Music)

Happy New Year everybody! To start the year off, I’m writing about River Tiber.

River Tiber is a singer, songwriter, producer , and multi-instrumentalist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. River Tiber specializes in indie pop as well as alternative R&B. Some instruments that he plays include keyboard, drums, violin, guitar, and trombone (which is a bit of a rarity unless you are in the jazz or symphony orchestra scene). River first broke into the scene in 2013 with his debut EP, The Star Falls. He has since also collaborated with artists such as Drake, Usher, SZA, and Travis Scott, all of whom he has co-written and co-produced songs for.

On December 9, 2022, River Tiber released a new album called Dreaming Eyes, his first full studio album since Indigo in 2016. In this album, River, the collaborating artists, and the producers have used their diverse assortment of skills and musical ears to put together what I can describe as an ambient sound that contributes to a lively atmosphere. To be honest, it sounds like something that could be quite popular among hardcore music lovers in artsy towns such as Denton, Texas. I couldn’t help but notice that there is a common use of the reverb and compress effects. These effects give instruments a bit of an echo while still controlling the dynamics (the volume) of the instruments. These effects with the piano and keyboard are especially prevalent in “Sent from Above”, “Inside Out”, “Not Just Anyone”, and “Vanity”. You can also hear the reverb and compression effects with guitar in “Taurus” and “Sunset”. I think that these are generally what drive the ambient yet free-flowing sound heard through Dreaming Eyes.

Overall, Dreaming Eyes is very calm and soothing. I think that listening to it can help put you more at ease if something happens that makes you start to feel intense emotions such as anxiety, sadness, or anger. It helps you take a temporary break from the real world when needed, hence the word “dreaming”. I also like the musician ship that River Tiber shows through Dreaming Eyes. Each song has some type of variety, and they give various instruments and elements a spotlight. This is something else that keeps listeners interested in a certain artist after said artist has released a hit single or album.

References

“River Tiber – Dreaming Eyes”. Killbeat Music, 9 December 2022. https://www.killbeatmusic.com/rivertiber/