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POV: You are home for Thanksgiving break, in your childhood bedroom, trying to find a very specific item—like that cozy hoodie from that one concert or a t-shirt to wear to bed and instead, you end up coming across everything you’ve ever tucked away from your youth. Old photos, school projects, diaries—or in my case, Jonas Brothers autographs I won from a Tigerbeat magazine sweepstakes in 2008—and suddenly you find yourself taking a trip down memory lane. In Dylan Conrique’s recent release “Gatekeeper,” the California-based singer-songwriter writes one last ode to childhood before packing away her memories into a bunch of brown boxes.

You can’t start a new chapter without fully closing the last. In “Gatekeeper,” Conrique composes a love letter to the home she grew up in on Auburn Street, signaling her final “goodbye” before moving on to the people and places that life holds next. Although “Gatekeeper” appears to be about a physical home and the people inside of it, everyone can find a piece of themselves within this track, whether you consider home to be a physical place, a person, or an idea. Conrique carries a level of self-awareness within her songwriting and storytelling; she eloquently expresses the inner conflict of knowing you have to move on, realizing that the longer you stay, the harder it will be to leave.

“Gatekeeper” is equal parts intimate and vulnerable, lacing together indie-pop swells and acoustic guitar riffs allowing Conrique's vocals to stand out. Throughout the track, the rising singer-songwriter reminisces on a past that she knows she has to say goodbye to, and the track’s production, combined with its vocals, reflects a distinctive, wistful nostalgia that sounds both familiar and comforting. “Can’t stop time moving too fast, if you can’t let go you’re only holding me back,” she sings

There is no doubt that “Gatekeeper” will take you back in time. Conrique’s music feels like a hug from your younger self, and we cannot wait to see what this new chapter holds for her music.

Watch the “Gatekeeper” video below: