Wye Oak (née Monarch) is a duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, formed in mid… Read Full Bio ↴Wye Oak (née Monarch) is a duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, formed in mid-2006.

Wasner and Stack have been playing music together and apart in Baltimore, MD, and chose their name from the honorary state tree of Maryland. If Children is the culmination of many months of recording, polishing and perfecting to achieve what Any Given Tuesday best described as, “. .. . mingling in a room full of shoegaze, alt-country, folk, and noise, shaking hands, kissing cheeks, and making friends with everyone.” If Children is an exuberant debut – noisy and restrained in turn, Wye Oak describe their philosophy: "We'd like to think that if a song is good enough, it'll stand on its own regardless of how much noise you pile on top. On the other hand, we do like noise." Listen, and we think you will have to agree!

The droll tone and fleeting sweetness of a Yo La Tengo are cut into the more deeply textural concerns of shoegaze in the Baltimore group's work. It's an interesting alignment, given the contrast in senses of humor. But Wye Oak successfully shed tonnage from the latter without losing potency.

8. Hot as Day
Wye Oak Lyrics

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When the sun is its most bright
Stare into its light
Do not close your eyes

Let it burn into your mind
Then look left, look right
Let it make you blind

Oh, isn't that a fright
Birth, to eternal night
That someone decides each day

When the days run long and late
Darkness brings me pause
While I lie awake

Sleeping's never long enough
Lying in this heat
I forget to breathe

Oh, isn't that the way

Sun hides himself away
Still, it's hot as day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Wye Oak's song 8, particularly to the part "Hot as Day," are somewhat abstract and poetically cryptic, but the intended message is likely one of a resigned acceptance of a sometimes oppressive environment. The opening verses present an opposite premise that is seen in traditional warnings against staring at the sun. Sunlight can be very harmful and painful to the naked eye, and it is therefore recommended not to look directly at it. However, the song suggests that to confront this light head-on is to acknowledge its intensity, to embrace the warmth and illumination that life offers.

The second verse introduces a different perspective, one that draws attention to the equally burdensome nature of darkness. Sleeplessness, as the lyrics suggest, can be a complex and even menacing state of mind. The heat is also mentioned here, adding a sense of suffocation to an already uncomfortable situation. All in all, these two verses seem to be addressing the duality of human experience, the good and bad, the light and dark, and that they are often inseparable, with one defining the other.

From a musical point of view, "Hot as Day" is characterized by an instrumental interlude that features an electric guitar riff and a synthesizer melody. The song's melody is repeated and layered throughout, making it infectious and easy to recall. The overall flow of the song is slow and steady, which adds to its dreamlike feel. The melancholy notes played over the song's thematic lines make the overall impression of the song even more poignant.

Line by Line Meaning

When the sun is its most bright
At the peak of the sunlight

Stare into its light
Gaze into its brilliance

Do not close your eyes
Keep your eyes open

Let it burn into your mind
Let it sear into your memory

Then look left, look right
Take a glance to your left and right

Let it make you blind
Allow it to blind you mentally

Oh, isn't that a fright
Isn't it frightening

Birth, to eternal night
From birth to death

That someone decides each day
That someone determines every day

When the days run long and late
When the days are lengthy and drag on

Darkness brings me pause
I ponder in darkness