Wednesday’s single “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” signals the beginning of a new era for the band, and gives audiences the first taste of their new unreleased album, Bleed. “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” is the follow up single to “Elderberry Wine”, which embraced a more light romantic tone compared to their newest single, which is darker and heavier.
Karly Hartzman does what she did best on the band’s last album, Rat Saw God, which is to write heartbreakingly real and specific lyrics that somehow have a universal quality to them. “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” embraces Hartzman’s literary passion for a narrative, and portrays the darkness and irony of the human experience with lines like, “Mounted antlers in the kitchen on a crooked nail.”
The absurdities present in Hartzman’s narrative are juxtaposed with haunting statements like, “Your faceless fear gathers like a mob.” The lyrics are not the only contrasts within the track, as Hartzman’s vocals drastically shift from the beginning to the end of the song. She starts off soft and melodic, and by the track’s conclusion, goes into a full scream. It represents the turmoil that the song offers, and contributes to its chaos.
The instrumentals are divinely executed, as Hartzman’s vocal desperation becomes increased, so does the band. The guitars are heavy and distorted and the drums have an uplifting steadiness to them. From beginning to end, the guitars follow the vocals lead, and serve to emphasize the turbulent narrative within the song.
The instrumentals truly shine during the two instrumental breaks which hike up the action and discordance to create a symphony of angst and turmoil. The track closes with loud heavy drums, screeching guitars, and screaming.
“Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” is representative of what Wednesday excels in, which is creating music with intense emotion and real life narratives packaged in beautiful lyrics and sounds.
Watch the music video for “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)” here!
