David Archuleta etches his heart with an acoustic guitar. “Up” veers into indie/singer-songwriter territory with its luminescent exterior and rootsy melody. “I tried to give them my heart, but I never got that far,” he sings, casting his heart into the fire. “Couldn’t be the good guy, even though I did try.” Strings echo in the background, tightening the emotional wire on which Archuleta teeters. He collided with the wall and nearly bottomed out completely, finding himself nearly cracked in two. He might be deeply wounded, but he refuses to let it ruin him. He simply trades the darkness for light. As they say, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Listen to “Up” below.