In a nutshell, “blessed & depressed” tackles self-destruction but band-aiding and healing that feeling at the same time. Through pure, rock tunes and solid vocals, Whereafter has quite literally poured their emotions to create this concept.
Recognizing the pattern, this is not your usual album. The thirteen tracks comprise of a mixture of narration/dialogue and actual songs, making the suggestion of listening to the whole thing in chronological order necessary as to not be confused by what is going on. It’s somewhat a battle of sensitive themes with the dialogues in-between songs acting as a mediator or something like a therapist. The title “Let’s Talk” kind of backs up that assumption.
Starting off with a literal introduction of what the record is about, “Let’s Talk” goes on about being misunderstood and no one being alone to feel that way. Narrated in a monotone voice, it says something along the lines of: “It’s not uncommon to experience a sense of struggle while also recognizing the blessings life offers.” Right off the bat, listeners get a sense that this album is going to hit deep.
What’s unique about this tracklist is that the song after a dialogue track acts like a response. For instance, “Blind Heart”, the first official song, is presumably about inner demons, with lines such as “I know I am blessed, still I’m a mess / my mind refuses to allow my mind to rest”. “Battleground”, another dialogue track which speaks on what the human mind goes through and its external stimuli, then followed by “The Curse”, a song that mainly sounds like an ongoing battle.
“Uninvited Guest” feels as though it’s anxiety in audio form: “Tasks that once brought joy feel like insurmountable mountains”, “The mind, a relentless critic”. It’s tough yet real, allowing listeners to really relate to every feeling and expression relayed through these songs and poetic narrations. It is followed by “Wasting Away”, a song that features a chaotically good guitar solo, but speaks on the most devastating things: “Sometimes I’m fine / the clouds dissipate long enough to reveal all I love – All that I do not deserve”
Moving forward, “Clarity” starts off with a distorted sound, and also has lines such as “We do not want these feelings to encapsulate our entire being; we do not want to be defined by our struggles”, yet another reassuring talk from the recurring monotone voice appearing on every other track. Essentially, it talks about identity and the crises of knowing who we are, hence the next track “Who I Am”, a song about giving up and accepting the current circumstance: “Why was I chosen to be this way? / If I could change I’d destroy it all and start again.” and “Escape from the darkness, feel something different”.
“Familiar”, a dialogue talking about how change is scary and that humans would naturally stay in the comfort of stagnation and familiarity: “The idea of letting go to experience the slightest bit of change feels more terrifying than the weight itself”. Again, true and poetic, which is also scary. This is then followed by “Stuck On You”, which, adhering to the title, is about being stuck on a particular feeling and not being able to escape it, thereby not getting to change the self at all. Here’s a fun bit of trivia: Stuck On You is actually a cover of a song by Failure. Interestingly, Kellii, who played drums on this album, is also the drummer for Failure.
The last pair of tracks touches on intimacy and its importance in the basic human life. “Saviour” refers to a partner or significant other’s capabilities to save someone from darkness, and maybe even become the reason for the other party’s willingness to continue in this life.
“Crooked Line” is a sweet, acoustic love song to wrap everything up (right before “You Are Not Alone (Broken Record), the final dialogue of the album). It is very much in contrast with how everything sounds, but there’s something special about records having a special, simple acoustic song despite the artist’s actual genre. It’s quite literally about love: “I can be harsh sometimes, the loudness version of love / I’m not perfect but I’m good enough for you”.
Overall, a really great and creative concept. It’s been a thrill experiencing this album, going over every track for the first time. Not to mention its relevance and importance in expressing how people feel about their mental states, opening a window for others to share or relate their own emotions and experiences.
Pre save this album here:
Follow Whereafter
About the Author
A psychology major with a knack for music and writing. Mostly indulges in alternative rock, indie, and pop punk.
