… 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.
Rain Smell
Baths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
still smell the rain, distance aside
oh water that had kept me alive
i will miss you, distance aside
In this song, Baths describes a feeling of longing for someone who is physically distant from him. He continues to smell the scent of rain and the person he misses, even though they are far away. The rain and water serve as a metaphor for the person he is missing, symbolizing their life-giving qualities and the sense of being refreshed by their presence. The line "water that had kept me alive" suggests that this person was essential to his survival, and that being separated from them feels like a loss.
The repetition of the phrase "distance aside" emphasizes the physical distance between the singer and the person he misses. However, the scent of rain and the memories of this person are still present, highlighting the emotional connection that distance cannot destroy. The line "I will miss you, distance aside" is particularly poignant because it acknowledges the inevitability of missing someone who is far away, despite any efforts to maintain contact.
Overall, "Rain Smell" is a beautifully written song that captures the bittersweet feeling of missing someone who is far away. The lyrics are simple but powerful, using natural imagery to convey a sense of longing and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
i still smell you, distance aside
Despite the physical distance between us, your presence is still very much with me and I can still sense your scent.
still smell the rain, distance aside
Even though we are far apart, I can still feel the lingering presence of the rain and the memories it brings back of our time together.
oh water that had kept me alive
Water has been a vital source of sustenance for me, both physically and emotionally. It has helped me survive and overcome difficult times.
i will miss you, distance aside
Despite the distance, I will always cherish the moments we shared and the memories we made together. I will deeply miss you.
Contributed by Nathaniel O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Evan Curby
This song makes me cry for all the right reasons. Not like a sad crying, but more just of reflective crying for my past and all the great things that the future holds. Oh, yeah and the first time I felt true genuine love.
Hein Guy
Evan Curby go and make music
Fai
" I still smell you, distance aside/ still smell the rain, distance aside
All the water that had kept me alive /I will miss you, distance aside"
Never get sick of humming this beautiful song whenever it rains.
Stan
This song is what I imagine it feels like to have brain hiccups, or to be repeatedly slammed into a tree. Also makes me feel like a DVD of my life is skipping on the scene of the moment when I've tripped and can sense I'm falling, making it so I cannot fulfill the drop. Makes me stop in my tracks, in the way a hug or a taser might. I feel soothed and angered. I have a lot of feelings about this song.
Arcius
That dipping sounds more like a heartbeat. It's the heartbeat of the rain. It's majestic <3
Anamaria Ber.
Amazing song...feel it...love it
Baile McDavid
i always come back to this. no matter how much my music taste changes. 11 years later
Brent
The whole album is incredible.
Audra
I love that the cover is a bath bomb. It's so nice to listen to in a warm bath with a good bath bomb.
TastyHaze
Moopy Doop I never looked at it like that, I always saw a sphere of water, similar to Earth, but not an exact image.