Intimate and apocalyptic, Field Mouse’s “Black Hole, Son” contrasts personal struggles against bigger, societal issues through rich, harmony-laden alt-rock goodness.
Stream: “Black Hole, Sun” – Field Mouse
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/616582092?secret_token=s-n5tx5″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]A grungy and raw current cuts through Field Mouse’s new song like a shock of lightning across an otherwise clear dusk. Intimate and apocalyptic, “Black Hole, Son” contrasts personal struggles against bigger, societal issues through rich, harmony-laden alt-rock goodness.
Come and hitch a ride
go on outside,
this is an imaginary line
Burning up at night, fire-fight
summoning the will to feel alright
every night, every night
Holding out forever
Scan the room to see
something there to save us
eventually, eventually
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Black Hole, Son,” the latest single off Field Mouse’s forthcoming third album Meaning (out August 16 via Topshelf Records). The Brooklyn- and Philadelphia-based rock band led by Rachel Browne, Andrew Futral, Saysha Heinzman, and Zoë Browne, Field Mouse make a hi-octane blend of dream-pop and melodic rock with a formidable edge. “Black Hole, Son” echoes with Foo Fighters influences as Browne sings achingly above a slew of overdriven riffs and dynamic drum fills. Tongue-in-cheek though its title may be, “Black Hole, Son” comes out as a dark, emotional saga.
Some days I still feel like myself,
but today I woke up more like you
Willing it away, I close the space
Is it the more selfish thing to do?
do the words get through?
Will this be the last one?
Can you speak the last line?
Holding out forever
Scan the room to see
something there to save us
eventually, eventually
“Andrew [guitarist and co-writer in Field Mouse] fought for this title and it still makes me chuckle,” Browne tells Atwood Magazine. “It is also appropriate because this song is about a vision of the end of the world in something catastrophic, like a black hole. The verses deal with more earthly feelings of solitude and relationship tension, things which seem ridiculous when set against total annihilation. It is about going back and forth between fretting over micro things like social anxiety and freaking out about the literal end of the world.”
Today’s media has the tendency to catastrophize; every story is dire, and everything is happening NOW. There’s little escape from the madness, and yet while everything is going on around us, there can often be just as much bedlam at home. How do we balance our personal problems against bigger issues? Our issues feel miniscule when compared to climate change, yet everything is relative… so long as we remember that the world isn’t actually ending.
Perspective can be a very good thing, and “Black Hole, Son” serves as a reminder that, while our issues are real and valid, there’s also more to life than what’s happening in our individual worlds. Life is bigger than us, hence there are times when we can hole up inside ourselves, and times when we should let things be, take a deep breath, and move on.
Field Mouse’s performance is tight, impassioned, and incredibly forceful: They layer their instruments without crowding up the soundscape, and they capture a litany of feelings without spelling it out for the listener. Be sure to listen to Meaning upon its release on August 16, and for now stream Field Mouse’s dreamy, infectious “Black Hole, Son” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Stream: “Black Hole, Sun” – Field Mouse
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art & ? © Katie Krulock art layout © Kevin Duquette
