I woke to a morning made of quiet grey,
A heaviness sitting where my heartbeat lay.
But there was a whisper in the window frame—
Said “you don’t have to stay the same.”

I walked through the forest in my weathered shoes,
Counting all the shadows I used to confuse
For monsters that lived beneath my tired mind—
Turns out they were only roots and vines.

But I’m learning now, the dark won’t last,
Storms roll through but storms roll past.
I’m finding breath in borrowed time,
Finding light between the pines.
And I’m coming back, slowly this time—
Coming back to life.

Some days I still crumble like uneven stone,
Some nights I still fear I’ll always feel alone.
But hope is a lantern with a trembling flame—
Small, but it’s burning just the same.

And the days I can’t climb, I’ll crawl,
And the days I can’t speak, I’ll whisper it all.
Healing isn’t loud, it’s a quiet sign—
A hand on the door, a spark in the spine.

‘Cause I’m learning now, the dark won’t last,
Storms roll through but storms roll past.
I’m finding breath in borrowed time,
Finding light between the pines.
And I’m coming back, slowly this time—
Coming back to life.

So here’s to the mornings I thought I’d never see,
To the version of me who fought silently.
I’m stepping out where the sunlight climbs—
I survived the night…
Now I’m making it mine.

Light Between the Pines

Band Bio: vApIr

Hailing from the Boston area, vApIr, a concept created by Josh Oakes, rides the sweet collision of vintage lo-fi charm and forward-thinking, AI-assisted spontaneity. Pairing warm, imperfect guitars with textured percussion and melodies that drift between nostalgia and the new. What sets vApIr apart isn’t just the sound, but the process: a collaborative dialogue between cutting-edge algorithms and human intuition, where machine-generated loops and human mistakes coexist to spark original ideas rather than imitate them.

Driven by a DIY ethos, sounds are recorded in cluttered basements and sunlit bedrooms, weaving together analog warmth and digital experimentation. vApIr’s workflow blends AI tools for idea generation, sound design, and melodic scaffolding with live instrumentation, intimate vocals, and off-the-cuff improvisation. The result is music that feels both intimate and forward-looking—songs that invite repeated listens to catch the subtle shifts, textures, and stories that emerge upon each replay.

vApIr crafts compact, hook-driven tracks that bloom into wide, cinematic grooves. The lyrics touch on memory, cityscape echoes, loneliness, and the oddities of modern connection, delivered with a conversational, slightly self-deprecating cadence that’s a bit strange and quintessentially indie. The production leans into lo-fi warmth—layered capacitively with crackling analog hiss and gentle digital shimmer—creating a sound that feels at once unpolished and meticulously considered.

Key releases:

Light Between the Pines (December, 2025) — A sun-washed collection of tracks that pair intimate storytelling with understated synth textures and tactile guitar tones. Buy the vinyl album here: https://elasticstage.com/soundcloud/releases/vapir-light-between-the-pines-album

Tambourine Monkey was born in 2004. I make music in my basement.