Shannon Lay delivers each moment in “Rare to Wake” with deep care and intention. Throughout the song’s five-minute runtime, the Los Angeles songwriter’s voice never appears unaccompanied: It is always layered in harmonies, followed by wordless echoes, or conversing with a sparse ensemble of upright bass, keys, electric guitar, and handclaps. Her lyrics are formed by existential concerns (“Have I always been who I am?”) and quiet affirmations (“I am longing to grow”). While her words slowly outline an imagistic narrative, the real story is in the sound itself—percussion teases a climax that never arrives, the background vocals sometimes overtake the lead, and her central acoustic guitar riff loops with the steady, meditative quality of ambient synths. Like a living painting, each new texture and color shifts the mood.