This week’s Soothing Song Sunday is featuring the Dutch band Chef’Special and their song, “In Your Arms.” With its coffee house feels and sunrise melody, “In your Arms” easily stole this week’s spotlight.

Chef’Special, a band from Haarlem, Netherlands, is known for their indie-pop vibes since early 2008 when the band first formed. Lead vocalist Joshua Nolet is the founder of Chef’Special, when he brought together his group of friends and local artists from his small hometown.

Other members of the band, Guido Joseph, Jan Derks, Wouter Heeren, and Wouter Jerry Prudon, all bring different backgrounds into the band with their unique ideas, concepts, and beliefs.

With two albums and three EPs, Chef’Special has worked and played all throughout Europe and made their way here to the US in 2015. Since then, the band has toured with Twenty One Pilots during the 2016 summer.

Their hit song, “In Your Arms,” appeared on their 2015 EP, and in February 2016, reached number 40 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Songs chart. The song begins as a slow, somewhat sad tune but lifts up as the melody progresses. “In Your Arms,” is a song about missing someone who is truly, physically, gone.

Nolet sings, “Cuz it’s my heart that’s been missing you / And it’s the heart I need to listen to / And it’s been singing songs, tender dreams / That once you sang to help us sleep…”

The last line of the verse above gives the audience a deeper meaning about who exactly he is singing about. Maybe Nolet is singing about a family member or close friend who has passed on?

Nolet continues, “And one day I will sing your songs / Sing ’em til they sleep / Just like you sang to me / Just like you sang, sang to me…”

Right after he fades off of “sang to me…,” the tempo of the song picks up accompanied by drum beats and guitar strumming.

Nolet sings, “Cuz it’s my heart that you help to build / And love is my compass still yeah / Love will fill the holes I got / Cuz you will never hold me / But I know that you are with me here / I know that you’re at peace / Cuz you let us sing to sleep / You let us sing , your heart  to sleep…”

At this point in the song, the listener is able to grasp that whoever Nolet is singing about has passed on; however, they are still with him today in his heart and in song.

“From the day that I met you I stopped feeling afraid / In your arms I feel safe, in your arms I feel safe.”

The song ends with a beautiful, up-beat melody, singing about the one he lost in such a positive, happy way. I think a lot of people can relate to this song, especially with the loss of a close family member.

Chef’Special is currently working on a new album and planning more American tours for the 2017 summer. Make sure to check them out and stay tuned for next week’s Soothing Song Sunday!