“Here With Me” by d4vd is a moody TikTok anthem about the longevity of a relationship

25 March 2023 / by Jordyn Lalonde
Song Review
“Here With Me” by d4vd is a moody TikTok anthem about the longevity of a relationship
With a beachy indie sound, d4vd’s track remains consistent with the sound he’s created for himself

If you’re looking for an easy-breezy song to listen to in the car or with your friends, the simplicity of d4vd’s “Here With Me” makes it an ideal option.

David Anthony Burke, more commonly known as d4vd, is an American singer-songwriter who shot up to fame with his song “Romantic Homicide” at 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, which also blew up on TikTok. The trend that led to its success consisted of typical couples who would post slideshows of one another indicating their names, ages, how long they’ve been together and other elements of their relationship. He was born in Houston, Texas, on March 28th, 2005. He started his career wanting to be a video gamer, uploading content on his YouTube account called Limit Ant. He initially started making montages of the popular video game Fortnite and decided to create music for his videos to avoid copyright issues. When his songs began to blow up, he released them on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music. He used BandLab, a free music production program that runs directly through desktop web browsers, to create his music. Burke was homeschooled at 13 and credits that upbringing to figuring out exactly what he wanted to do. Themes of sadness are consistent throughout his music. “Here With Me” is d4vd’s second most famous song, after “Romantic Homicide”, and it’s his 17th single within the past two years. He has won five awards, four for “Romantic Homicide” and one for “Here With Me.” 

“Here With Me” starts off with a dreamy guitar riff over a steady beat. As d4vd starts singing, listeners are immersed in the story he tells about his relationship with a partner watching the sunset, growing old together and knowing that regardless of the circumstances, everything will be alright with that person by his side. D4vd doesn’t have the strongest voice, but his vocal tone is well suited to the song’s instrumentation. While the song is a pretty easy listen, it lacks lyrical depth and is actually quite repetitive. I find it strange how he discusses “growing old” with a significant other when he is only seventeen, but it creates an interesting perspective since he is very young.  

While the song may lack lyrical depth, its sonic arrangement is pretty clever. The old-timey beachy indie sound coupled with light drums and dissonant chords creates a moody track for listeners, which could be the reason for the song’s success. In fact, the song boasts over 300 million streams to date on Spotify alone. 

In an interview, dv4d said he believes the imperfections in his music is what draws listeners to it. 

​“I make everything on my phone. I don’t mix or master anything. All my songs are full of imperfections. Feeling like you can make the song yourself is so important to me,” he said. ​“What I’m doing is relatable.”

The stripped-back nature of his music is present in “Here With Me” and according to the singer, could be another reason for his online success. 

“I came out of nowhere with one vocal and a couple of guitars,” he says. ​“People were so used to being overstimulated; my music gave them a break.”

“Here With Me” by d4vd is a perfect love song to describe the meaning of togetherness and what true love strives to be.