Shoegaze artist Boywithahalo releases contemplative track about life stagnation and isolation.
‘Story’ opens with an atmospheric sweeping texture of flanged vocalising goodness, before the pounding drums underscore a sing-song two and a half minute contemplation from boywithahalo.
The vocals are delivered with an air of fragility and resignation as the song opens with a familiar thought, “what’s the point to my story?”. Boywithahalo wrote “story” while stuck overseas in mainland China during the pandemic lockdowns, cut off from friends and family:
“I had no job, I had no audience, and all of the little amount of friends I had back in the US were inaccessible now due to the firewall and distance, and everything stood still for a long while.”
These feelings of isolation and apathy are conveyed in the song, as boywithahalo explains: “At times it felt like I have lost direction, stuck frozen in place and going nowhere at the same time. This song embodies my inner struggle with belonging, and ends on an optimistic note of approaching acceptance and confidence”. This is a very relatable feeling that I’m sure most of us have felt at some point, lockdown or no lockdown.
This mood is effectively conveyed in a number of ways: the laid-back tempo almost ticking like a clock, the simplistic melody and same two chords strummed on the guitar, and the apathetic and almost satirical tone of the vocals hold a quality that really conveys the layered emotions running through his head: he is fed up, unable to do anything or go anywhere, unsure what to do with his life, rearing to go and yet simultanously resigned to the slow tempo of the new normal. It’s remarkable how he manages to convey this with just two chords and a simple melody, and a testament to his artistry.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. The track ends with a note of optimism and resolve, with the lyrical punchline “I’ll find a way to make it out there and I’ll tell you my story”. This is a track to listen to when you just want to slow down and take things a step at a time.
This is the 5th single from boywithahalo, and we are looking forward to the next part of the story.
Julia Tache is a musician, social media enthusiast and writer. She releases music under the moniker Jewelia, is the founder of IndieGems and co-owner of Dual Productions.