To many, the truth is as much an ugly monster as it is a beautiful angel. We hold our truths dear and sacred, keeping them close to the chest – picking and choosing when we share them, and with whom they are shared. Sometimes, that comes out of our own struggle to comprehend the truth; but more often than not, we’re shielding others from our truths, and in doing so, shielding them from ourselves. wetter capture our eternal struggle with vulnerability in “Truth Song,” a raw and intimate indie rock song full of reflection and tension.
the camera takes a picture
the painter makes me laugh
the singer turns a memory into a funny mask
I am a book, I am a book
I am written
the author I feel as though I know her very well
Read me, read me
touch me, touch me
love me, love me
lose me, lose me
Listen: “truth song” – wetter
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/451473219?secret_token=s-AW2rG” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Truth Song,” the lead single off wetter’s upcoming EP Late Bloomer (out July 15, 2018 via Forged Artifacts). The Minneapolis-based indie rock band of Melissa Jones, Rose von Muchow, Joe Lunabur, and Jordan Bleau, wetter combine the pop spark of indie rock bands like alvvays with the raw DIY crunch of Atwood favorites Alyeska and The Vaughns. Nowhere is this better experienced than on “truth song,” an unconventional conversational track that finds Melissa Jones singing straight to us, her words flowing out with the grace and candor of a vivid diary entry.
My love, my love like the moon
unsure of where the light comes from
Originally released independently in 2016, “truth song” resonates as deeply today as it did 1.5 years ago. Jones’ uniquely evocative singing makes for a stirring performance; she wields her voice like an emotional weapon, trembling and shaking with the weight of not fully knowing how to deal with her own deep, personal truths.
She recounts a story of intimacy that forever leaves a mark on her – it’s the sort of story that might be easier to say in song than through words alone:
when I was 17 I had a friend
she knew me, she knew me then she kissed me
I’ve got a secret and I’ll keep it till I die
no man will know me
no storm can reach me
my love, my love like the moon
reflecting to become
“I wrote ‘Truth Song’ while on vacation with my family in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota,” Melissa Jones tells Atwood Magazine. “I was thinking a lot about the difficulties we face when communicating our wants and most nuanced truths with others. I try to do that with my songs, but I always wonder if there is a more honest way. Love and lust can be the most difficult places to tell ourselves and others the truth, and I think the most we can do is try.”
how can you try to tell the truth
when you can’t even name
what’s standing right in front of you
how can you try to tell the truth
when you can’t even name
what’s standing in between us
how can you try to tell the truth
when you can’t even name
the elephant in the room
How can you try???
I dont make promises that I can’t keep
I never said I could
I never said I’d try
“Truth Song” is a coming out of sorts, but in reality it is so much more than that alone. It’s a resonating moment of release, the climacting unraveling of our secrets – and with them, ourselves. wetter’s song is vague enough to speak to each and every one of us, cutting into our core and leaving us to ponder our own truths, whatever they may be.
And while Late Bloomer will sadly be the band’s only release before calling it quits at the end of the summer, we will surely be keeping a close eye on Melissa Jones and the rest of wetter in the coming months and years: Music this raw deserves to be shared and reshared, celebrated and heard.
Stream wetter’s “Truth Song” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and dive deeper into the music with our exclusive interview with wetter’s Melissa Jones! wetter’s Late Bloomer EP is out July 15 via Forged Artifacts.
“TRUTH SONG“
Atwood Magazine: Melissa, your voice quivers and shakes as “Truth Song” gets underway. Can you speak about how you wield your voice as an emotional vessel in your music?
wetter: With the voice, emotions must be conveyed subtly, or else the part may come off as over-acted or insincere. I use wavering or straining only where it seems natural, but used right it can convey meaning beyond lyrics.
I love the terminology of 'speaking our truths,' and certainly “Truth Song” captures the struggle to follow through with that intent. How, in addition to lyrics alone, do you feel this song expresses that challenge?
wetter: The song opens with a simple harmony-less guitar, and single vocal part. This slowly builds into a much bigger operation with drums, bass, lead guitar, and vocal harmonies. I think this serves as a representation of how we try to express a simple true feeling and its plight against corrupting forces.
One thing that instantly drew me to “Truth Song” was how it built up from sparse instrumentation - doing more with less. How does this notion play into your songwriting, and was there a conscious effort to do something along those lines in “Truth Song”?
wetter: I always write my songs for wetter alone, and Joe, Rose, and Jordan create their own parts to fit the song. I’m usually very hands-off in this way, and I think this method can sometimes lend itself to a slow-burning development. I’m not sure if building it in this way was a totally conscious decision on our part, but it is what we all did naturally.
You truly are a book in this song, opening up with total vulnerability. Can you discuss that raw emotion, and also did that factor into you naming this, “Truth Song”?
wetter: While this song is very vulnerable, it is simultaneously very vague. In it, I mostly make a series of metaphors and broad questions to teasingly get at my point. I didn’t want to add any more questions to the song with an unrelated title, and there isn’t really a good chorus hook to name it after. Maybe I should have named it “Song About Trying to Tell the Truth.”
I also love this song's unconventional, conversational structure. How did that come about; is this uncommon for wetter, or pretty much the norm?
wetter: I write most songs like this. Whenever I think too much about structure I end up throwing the song out. I love pop songs, and I write pop songs, but don’t think a good pop song has to stick to the ABABCB structure.
Who do you consider some of your musical influences?
wetter: Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Bjork, and Liz Phair are some of my favorites, but apart from that I find a lot of my friends who play music in Minneapolis a lot more inspiring than national acts. Sass and Half Tramp happen to be some of my best friends, and also make some of my favorite music.
How can you try to tell the truth when you can't even name the elephant in the room. Can you dive into those lines further?
wetter: When I wrote that line, I was thinking about all the conversations I have where we are ignoring some larger issue for the sake of politeness or niceties. Midwesterners do this chronically, and it can get in the way of real and honest conversation.
I was left speechless the first time I heard the ending, I never said I'd try. There's this absence of emotion, a backlash that somewhat dissolves the intensity of the past four minutes. Why end the song on this line?
wetter: I always love a surprise ending! I was trying to express feelings of frustration and detachment in these final lines, which both can kill efforts of truth telling and honest conversation.
With one song, wetter have become a surefire Atwood artist to watch. Can you talk about wetter's plans for the rest of the year and what we can expect from you in the coming months?
wetter: wetter is unfortunately coming to an end after we release this album! I’m moving away from Minneapolis at the end of the summer, and I don’t think I’ll keep playing music under this name because the South Korean band, “WETTER,” is very much blowing up right now. I’ll have to think of a new name!
— — — —
Connect to wetter on
Facebook, Bandcamp
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Kaytee Callahan
