… 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.
Out
Baths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have to warm up to the feel of it
Often meek to the Nth degree
But the night's so thick that I forgot to leave
Communion in the church of grease
Cellphone like a rosary
Throbbing bodies pound around
What am I gonna do with me
All this gloss
And all its goblins
At the shattered ego club
Come fail at love (and celebrate your stupid fate)
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
All your thoughts
All your problems
At the shattered ego club
Come fail at love (and celebrate your stupid fate)
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
Who are many of the men I've done
What subtle hell are they born of
Salt the exits of the room
Don't let them get to you
Enough is enough is enough is enough
Salt the earth under the cliques
Cool is not so tough
Will I let the salt flow from my eyes or my armpits
All our loss
We're all so maudlin
At the shattered ego club
Come fail at love (and celebrate your stupid fate)
Walls line in every color of every iris of every lover
All your thoughts
All your problems
At the shattered ego club
Come fail at love (and celebrate your stupid fate)
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
Enough is enough is enough is enough
Is enough is enough is enough
And celebrate your stupid fate
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
And celebrate your stupid fate
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every iris
Of every iris of every lover
The lyrics of Baths's song "Out" describe a feeling of detachment and uncertainty in the midst of a chaotic and stimulating environment. The first verse begins with a sense of needing to ground oneself in the midst of "exhuberance", but also needing to ease into it. Despite feeling timid, the singer finds themselves caught up in the thick of the night, unable to leave. The second verse shifts to the setting of a club, describing it as a type of church where people come to worship "grease" and "throbbing bodies". The singer is again questioning what to do with themselves, amidst the gloss and goblins of the club. The chorus encourages failing at love and celebrating one's "stupid fate" in a space where everyone's thoughts and problems are on display, lined in the walls of the club in every color of every lover's iris. The bridge seems to refer to past relationships and the subtle harm that some may have caused. The singer encourages shutting them out and preventing them from causing further damage, perhaps by "salting the exits of the room". The song culminates in the final repetition of the chorus, with an added emphasis on celebrating one's fate, despite how foolish or unfulfilling it may seem.
Overall, the song seems to capture a feeling of needing to escape, but also being drawn to chaos and stimulation. The lyrics delve into the idea of using a public space as a type of emotional release, where everyone's feelings and problems are laid bare for all to see. The use of metaphorical language and sharp observations add depth to the song's meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Find the floor in all exuberance
Discover the underlying reality beneath all excitement and enthusiasm.
Have to warm up to the feel of it
Need time to adjust to new situations and experiences.
Often meek to the Nth degree
Frequently timid to an extreme extent.
But the night's so thick that I forgot to leave
Overwhelmed and lost in the darkness of the night, unable to depart.
Communion in the church of grease
A sense of unity and connectedness that transcends social barriers, found in the shared experience of consuming oily, fattening food.
Cellphone like a rosary
A handheld device used for communication and connection, seen as a sacred tool for invoking emotional responses.
Throbbing bodies pound around and then nestle into wreaths
Alive, pulsing figures thrash about before coming to rest in a state of relaxation and comfort, reminiscent of wreaths or garlands.
What am I gonna do with me
A rhetorical question pondering the purpose and direction of one's life.
All this gloss and all its goblins
Appearances and their negative consequences, personified as goblin-like creatures.
At the shattered ego club, come fail at love (and celebrate your stupid fate)
Join others in experiencing heartbreak and humiliation, and take joy in the outcome regardless.
Walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
Surfaces adorned with the shades of every eye, symbolic of the wide array of individuals who experience love.
Who are many of the men I've done
Reflecting on past sexual partners and wondering about their true identities and personalities.
What subtle hell are they born of
What dark and unseen influences have shaped these men into who they are?
Salt the exits of the room, don't let them get to you
Prevent negative energies and individuals from entering one's personal space or psyche, by placing barriers and shielding one's self.
Enough is enough is enough is enough
A declaration that the current status quo is unacceptable and must be changed.
Salt the earth under the cliques
Rid the social landscape of divisive, exclusive groups and their toxic influences.
Cool is not so tough, will I let the salt flow from my eyes or my armpits
Being calm and collected is not as challenging as it may seem, and one must decide whether to express emotions visibly or more subtly, depending on the situation.
All our loss, we're all so maudlin
Collectively experiencing defeat and sorrow, while also being overly sentimental and melancholic.
And celebrate your stupid fate, walls lined in every color of every iris of every lover
Embrace the inevitability of failure and misfortune in one's life, alongside the shared spectrum of emotions felt by all those who have loved.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: William Boris Wiesenfeld
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jaKthemighty
Sounds weird but it's been such a joy to watch Will's life/home/friends gradually become part of his music in this way.
@matthewwatts9666
I'd say the summoning of friends under the bed was the least weird part of the video. Fucking hilarious and I love it
@Astrodevil
HOT TAKE BUT this is what internet/digitally inspired media SHOULD look and behave like. I love the playfulness and subtlety in each seemingly arbitrary rule and step into going "out." Things that would be 100% normal in a digital environment, like a video game, seem utterly out of touch with reality and create a unique space where these two themes clash in such a beautiful way. I love this age we live in because we've gotten to a point where its digital media that inspires digital media.
@OValencia229
Getting a music video with both of my Wiesenfeld boys is a dream come true.
@Charliem1016
Love everything this guy puts out. The work he's done for Dream Daddy, Bee & Puppycat as well as Hyper Light Drifter. I just love the vibe. Keep up the great work Will!
@kyukyu5982
This track still makes me dance today as much as it did last year and the year before!!! Thank you Baths! Thank YOU for your wonderful music!!
@nuclear-meltdown
Where did my depression go? I love you.
@chrislawuk
hahaha totally
@janina4871
same here ahaha this made me so happy
@fjdjcfhxjjxjx1400
If there really are an infinite number of universes, I want to live in the one where will's music is the soundtrack to existence.