… 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.
Iniuria Palace
Baths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in getting ready for you tonight
old bracelets in a box somewhere
my hair adorns me right
i'm here, a flourishing and jovial male
i'm all spirits and tall tales
my arms would be your sentimental bed
if it ends as well as it is in my head
i didn't see you come in
but i knew the room had been brighter since
no one can help but notice how
you shine in all this decadence
i stare you down and storm towards you
politely, as i do
and meet you with the perfect smile
as your fucking boyfriend kisses you
all the classical music in the world
cannot weep as deeply as a brokenhearted teenager
The lyrics of Baths's song Iniuria Palace provide a vivid image of a person, most likely a man, getting ready to go out for a date. The first line references Versailles, the ornate palace of the French Monarchs, to suggest that the person has been putting a lot of effort into their appearance. They have even found some old bracelets to wear, and their hair looks great. The lyrics continue in a slightly boastful tone, with the person describing themselves as a "flourishing and jovial male," ready to impress their date with their charm and storytelling abilities. They imagine that their arms will be the perfect place for their date to rest, if everything goes well.
However, things take a turn when they spot their date entering the room, and they realize that she is there with her boyfriend. This sudden shift in tone is captured in the music as well, which goes from a lighthearted and upbeat melody to something more intense and ominous. Despite feeling devastated by this turn of events, the person tries to put on a brave face and approaches the couple with a polite smile. The last line of the song suggests that the pain of unrequited love can be even more powerful than any piece of classical music.
Overall, the lyrics of Iniuria Palace illustrate the complex emotions that can arise when someone is attracted to someone who is already in a relationship. The person is torn between their desire to make a connection with their date and the knowledge that they cannot act on that desire. The song presents this internal conflict in a vivid and poetic way, conveying the sadness and disappointment that can arise when our romantic aspirations are thwarted by circumstance.
Line by Line Meaning
i've been as careless as versailles
I've been reckless, like the Palace of Versailles
in getting ready for you tonight
while preparing to see you tonight.
old bracelets in a box somewhere
I have hidden my old jewelry somewhere.
my hair adorns me right
As I am dressed properly, my hair helps complete the look.
i'm here, a flourishing and jovial male
I've arrived here and am feeling happy and successful.
i'm all spirits and tall tales
I'm full of energy and stories to tell.
my arms would be your sentimental bed
I'm open to comfort and hold you in my arms.
if it ends as well as it is in my head
If everything goes as planned and I get what I want.
i didn't see you come in
I was not aware of your arrival.
but i knew the room had been brighter since
Nonetheless, I could sense that the room had brightened up once you entered.
no one can help but notice how
Everyone is drawn to your irresistible presence.
you shine in all this decadence
You stand out among all the extravagance and lavishness that surrounds us.
i stare you down and storm towards you
I look at you intensely and march to your direction.
politely, as i do
But maintaining my cordial demeanor.
and meet you with the perfect smile
I greet you with the best of my smiles.
as your fucking boyfriend kisses you
Only to find out that your boyfriend is kissing you.
all the classical music in the world
There's no way classical music could compare.
cannot weep as deeply as a brokenhearted teenager
To the depth that a teenage heart break feels.
Contributed by Hunter V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.