… Read Full Bio ↴Will Wiesenfeld AKA Baths was born in 1989, in Los Angeles, California.
Wiesenfield is a classically trained musician, and began learning the piano at the age of four “to compete with his brother”. By twelve he had “completely abandoned it,” but continual musical experimenting lead him to record his first piece of music at age fourteen. Under a previous moniker, [Post-foetus], he wrote four albums and three EPs. He also ventured into a more ambient style with side-project Geotic, a project which Irish magazine State.ie called “gorgeous”.
After adopting the name Baths, he released debut album Cerulean on independent record label Anticon. He recorded the entire album in two months from his bedroom. The BBC’s Mike Diver claims Baths’ nearest musical sound-a-like is chillwave musician Toro Y Moi. Pitchfork noted Baths’ influences, acts such as Björk and Flying Lotus, were “obvious” in his work.
Drowned in Sound noted Baths’ use of “unorthodox” sounds layered in and around the electronics, in particular “clicking pens, vocal samples, rustling blankets and scissor snaps”. British newspaper The Guardian’s Paul Lester commented he was reminded of “J Dilla playing around with the Pavement and Prince catalogues” while listening to the album. While a lot of his music is instrumental, it can occasionally incorporate vocals, most of them falsetto.
Cerulean was listed by the AV Club as the 21st best album of 2010. It made Pitchfork’s Album of the Year: Honorable Mention list.
Apologetic Shoulder Blades
Baths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The opening lines of Baths's song "Apologetic Shoulder Blades" are immediately intriguing and perplexing. As one listens to the song, it becomes clear that the lyrics are exploring themes of technology, isolation, and identity. "Hugh" is presumably a reference to a person, but the fact that he "crawls out" of the computer blurs the lines between the digital and the physical. The computer could represent a virtual space where the persona of "Hugh" exists, or it could be a metaphor for the way technology has infiltrated and changed our lives. The sense of disorientation and confusion is further emphasized by the line "I don't know which self I try on anymore."
As the song continues, the lyrics delve deeper into issues of identity and the struggle to maintain connections with others. There's a palpable sense of loneliness and longing in lines like "I'm a collection of thoughts that always fall apart" and "I'm just looking for something that makes sense." The image of "apologetic shoulder blades" suggests a physical posture of regret and sadness, but it also speaks to the way we carry our emotional burdens with us. The song ultimately feels like a lament for a world that has become increasingly fragmented and disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
hugh crawls out of my computer
I feel overwhelmed by technology and digital interactions. This results in a hallucination where I imagine a person or character coming out of my computer screen.
I can't handle the way it makes me feel
The constant use of technology and social media has a negative impact on my mental health and I struggle to cope with the emotional toll it takes on me
it's never clear and it's never real
The digital world blurs the lines between what is real and what is not, and things are always uncertain, confusing, and potentially fake
my apologetic shoulder blades kneel
I feel guilty or ashamed of my dependence on technology and the way it affects me emotionally. I am physically hunching my shoulders in response
when there's too much input, I shut down
I become overwhelmed and overstimulated by too much information, and it causes me to withdraw or disengage from the world around me
can't process all the noise in this town
The constant influx of messages, notifications, and media in our digital age creates a noisy and chaotic environment that is difficult to navigate and process
I need to build myself a filter
I must create boundaries and limits to protect my mental health from the overwhelming input of the digital world
I need to build myself a shelter
I require a safe and quiet space to escape from the noise and chaos of the digital world and allow myself to recharge and recover
Contributed by Sadie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.