For Wallows and Clairo, “Are You Bored Yet?” is more than a question; it is the beginning of the end, and a testament to what happens when you can’t help but ask something that has the potential to unravel everything.
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Stream: “Are You Bored Yet?” – Wallows ft. Clairo
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For a song about a relationship nearing its end, “Are You Bored Yet?” sure does signify a lot of beginnings. Not only was the song Wallows’ first single from their 2019 debut album Nothing Happens, but also it marked their first musical collaboration with Clairo, who accompanies lead singer Dylan Minnette on the track. The Los Angeles based alternative group even explained to Spotify that, after wine was spilled on their computer, the song “…was the first idea that came out on the new computer we got.”
“Are You Bored Yet” is a song that feels destined to be included in a pivotal moment of a dreamy teen movie. It’s cinematic and bold, yet slightly paradoxical. Though the track grapples with a breakup looming overhead, the song sonically maintains an upbeat energy. When the song unfolds, however, it tells the story of two people on an emotional seesaw. The group admitted to Clash, “Lyrically, the song is about the idea of someone being bored with a relationship that you have been in for a while, and the fear that you or the other person is ready to move on.”The result is a vocal and lyrical back and forth between Minnette and Clairo.
What’s wrong?
You’ve been asking but
I don’t have an answer
How come?
I’m still thinking,
let’s pretend to fall asleep now
When we get old, will we regret this?
Too young to think about all that shit
And stalling only goes so far
when you’ve got a head start
In an early 2019 interview with Atwood Magazine, lead singer Dylan Minnette said that he originally met Clairo through mutual friends. Minnette added that the original demo of the song was “definitely more bedroom pop inspired” and “had sort of a Clairo feel to it,” but ultimately it was a combination of perfect timing and a mutual interest for a collab that made it manifest. Minnette told Atwood that, “We were in the studio and we recorded all that song besides the vocals and that verse and we were like, ‘Should we actually hit her up? Should we do it?’ So, we sent her a message and when she responded a few days later she said, ‘This song’s awesome, I’m down. Are you guys in the studio today?’ She happened to be in town. It was our last day in the studio for a while so she came in and wrote the part in like 15 minutes, went in and sang it, and that’s just how it happened.”
The track opens with both Minnette and Clairo’s voices layered over eachother, and another question. “What’s wrong? // You’ve been asking but I don’t have an answer // How come? // I’m still thinking let’s pretend to fall asleep now.” The conversation between the duo starts in the first verse, and already, there’s hints of lying when they sing “let’s pretend to fall asleep now.” Another question pops up with, “When we get old, will we regret this? Too young to think about all that shit // And stalling only goes so far when you’ve got a head start.” The potential of regretting something is a haunting one, and in these lyrics, that apprehension is highlighted. Minnette is worried about having remorse, perhaps about staying in the relationship when both are so young and still have so many more people to meet. The group told Genius, “In reality, any relationship with anyone is a learning experience. I don’t think it’s ever time wasted because you learn from all those experiences. But, those are the kind of things that can torment you, and you go through, emotionally, in your mind, in any relationship.”
Cause we could stay at home
and watch the sunset
But I can’t help from asking,
“Are you bored yet?”
And if you’re feeling lonely
you should tell me
Before this ends up
as another memory
Will you tell the truth
so I don’t have to lie?
Will you tell the truth
so I don’t have to lie?
The chorus builds on the story, with Minnette and Clairo singing, “Cause we could stay at home and watch the sunset // But I can’t help from asking, ‘Are you bored yet?’” Here, Minnette and Clairo create a scenario in listeners’ heads of a stereotypical rom-com moment of “watching the sunset,” but even during this seemingly romantic moment, “… I can’t help from asking, ‘Are you bored yet?’” Whether they’re asking if the other is bored of watching the sunset or their relationship in whole is unclear, but the dual meaning itself is powerful. The band told Genius that these lyrics were “…asking if this other person is bored, in any elements of this relationship, in any sense of the word. It’s saying no matter what we do, I can’t get this off my mind.” The chorus continues with, “And if you’re feeling lonely you should tell me // Before this ends up as another memory // Will you tell the truth so I don’t have to lie? // Will you tell the truth so I don’t have to lie?” The idea of lying comes up again, as does the idea of trying to start a conversation before the situation becomes helpless. However, based on how the song progresses, it becomes more clear that more than likely, there’s no going back.
Feels like I’ve known you my whole life
I can see right through your lies
I don’t know where we’re going
But I’d like to be by your side
If you can tell me how you’re feeling
Maybe we’d get through this undefeated
Holding on for so long
After the chorus, Clairo has a solo portion of the song where she reveals that she has a much more ‘let’s fix this’ mindset. She sings, “Feels like I’ve known you my whole life // I can see right through your lies // I don’t know where we’re going // But I’d like to be by your side.” Despite Minnette feeling as if this pressing question of “Are you bored yet?” follows the couple everywhere, Clairo has the opposite approach to the problem. She adds that despite the fact she doesn’t know where they’re going, “…I’d like to be by your side.” Clairo continues, singing, “If you could tell me how you’re feeling // Maybe we’d get through this undefeated // Holding on for so long.” Again, the communication issues in the relationship are shown as she asks him to tell her how she’s feeling so they can make it through the rough patch. Minnette, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have any intention to try to turn things around.
For Wallows and Clairo, “Are You Bored Yet?” is more than a question; it is the beginning of the end, and a testament to what happens when you can’t help but ask something that has the potential to unravel everything.
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Stream: “Are You Bored Yet?” – Wallows ft. Clairo
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