"Shelter" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...

from his debut EP, ''

Blood Harmony ''Blood Harmony'' is the debut extended play by American singer-songwriter Finneas. It was released by his record label OYOY, distributed by AWAL, on October 4, 2019. All of the material on the EP was produced and written by Finneas. ''Blood Har ...

'' (2019). The song was released by OYOY as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from the EP on August 22, 2019. Finneas had heard that

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

was looking for songs to produce. Afterwards, he wrote the song and sent it to Avicii's team. Lyrically, the song is about a lover that brings Finneas peace, but also trouble. The song received mainly positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, several of whom praised the music and lyrical content. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Shelter" was uploaded to Finneas'

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on September 30, 2019, and was directed by Sam Bennett. In it, Finneas stumbles as backup dancers shove and toss him roughly. Finneas toured the United States throughout October 2019 to support ''Blood Harmony'', with the tour including performances of the song.

Background and composition

"Shelter" was first written back in 2016 by Finneas. He had heard that Swedish musician

was looking for songs to produce. Following on from this, Finneas wrote the track and sent it to Avicii's team. Finneas has confessed that he doesn't know if Avicii ever heard it. "Shelter" was released as the third

from Finneas' debut EP ''Blood Harmony'' for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

, through his

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

OYOY on August 22, 2019. The track was written and produced by Finneas. Critical commentary described "Shelter" as a pop-based track. The track features a tropical beat, electric guitar,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

-based guitars, drum beats,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

choir effect that appear during the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, reverb'd handclaps,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

y vocal embellishment, and rapid phrasing in the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. Tosten Burks, writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine, noted the track sounds like an

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

song. He further commented that the track is built around some "urgent

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

strumming" and a "plucky melody" which is very similar to the

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

line in Sheeran's number one hit "

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...

" (2017), and is set in a dance

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

. Lyrically, the track is about a lover that brings Finneas peace but has an undercurrent of trouble. He represents the trouble with the lyrics, "They call us lucky/But I think we might be cursed/'Cause the way you love me/I could drink the river dry, still die of thirst". The mood of the track becomes more urgent as it continues: "Give me, give me shelter/From the storm/Give me, give me shelter/ Keep me warm/I don't wanna think about a life without you/I don't wanna go to war but I'm about to".

Critical reception

"Shelter" was met with mainly positive reviews from music critics. Writing for ''Substream Magazine'', Valerie Magan described the track as "vulnerable", "heartbreak-tinged" and "easygoing". Ben Kay of ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' noted that "Shelter" was "considerably brighter than the material inneasproduces for his sister

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

". Madeline Roth of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

labeled the track as a "galvanic, acoustic guitar-driven number". Will Richards of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called the song "vibrant" and "huffling", while mentioning that its "production saves its average lyrics". Nicole Almeida of ''

Atwood Magazine Atwood Magazine is a digital music magazine that focuses on emerging and established artists from around the world. The magazine was founded in 2012 and is currently run by editor-in-chief Mitch Mosk. History Atwood Magazine was founded in 20 ...

'' stated that the song it "prolongs the theme of love, and is a high energy, radio-ready take on seeing someone as your safe haven", and he called the production on the song a "remarkable offering a fresh take on a pop anthem about being way too deep in love". Writing for the ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', Paul Zollow labeled the track as "buoyant" and "

uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

". Tanis Smither of ''

Earmilk ''EARMILK'', sometimes stylized in all caps, is a North American online music publication. Launched in the late 2000s by Montrey Whittaker, Blake Edwards and Eric DeFazio, ''Earmilk'' publishes on a variety of music genres, often covering hip h ...

'' mentioned the song has an "infectious energy".

Promotion

for "Shelter" was directed by Sam Bennett and was uploaded to Finneas'

channel on September 30, 2019. The video was directed by Sam Bennett and choreographed by Monika Felice Smith, while it was shot in one take. The visual begins with Finneas frantically walking along the Los Angeles river as groups of dancers try to interrupt his journey. "They call us lucky / But I think we might be cursed / 'Cause the way you love me / I could drink the river dry, still die of thirst." Finneas cries as the dancers try to tug and toss him roughly around the empty riverbed, as well as mobbing him. Roth compared the visual to the 1978 film '"'' Grease'', while praising the choreography, which she described as "elaborate" and "impressive". Finneas toured throughout the United States during October 2019, in support of ''Blood Harmony''. "Shelter" was one of the tracks from the EP that he performed live during the tour. In October 2019, Finneas performed "Shelter" at the

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...

, being backed up by a live band.

References

{{Finneas 2019 singles 2019 songs Avicii Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell Songs written by Finneas O'Connell Finneas O'Connell songs