09 May 18: Walls - Quinn XCII

Song: Walls

Artist: Quinn XCII

Album (Year): The Story of Us (2017)

Notable Lyric: There's more to us than what we choose to reveal (or what we don't)

For the last 6 weeks I've been staring at the blank page on this website with no clue where to go. Other than realising that keeping up a website or a blog is actually quite time-consuming, I figured out that my motivation to write stemmed from using the platform as a cathartic release. As a result it appears that that motivation withers away when things are "going well".

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Now that I'm back on the website it does imply that I'm going through another phase of rough sailing that requires me to vent through my website again - woo!

As I published more posts I did start writing more detailed reviews about them. Sometimes I just want to share a song because it's a tuuuuuune and other times I want to delve deeper into the lyrics, the meaning, the genre, the artist, and my interpretation. Like I've said before, this is all a work in progress and I'm very much making it up as I go along!

Anyway, back to the music!

This is arguably one of my favourite tracks on Quinn XCII's album from last year. The lyrics themselves are not complicated to decipher; in fact, they're really straight forward and I feel that's why it's so powerful. Focusing on the fact that we build "walls" in order to shield our true selves from the outside world because we're too concerned about how we're perceived in social contexts - particularly on social media and even in social contexts - is a topic I could talk to a wall about (no pun intended).

What I really want to say about this song is that even when you see people on a day-to-day basis, there is a lot more going on than what they choose to display. A quote that I absolutely love is "Don't call it a rose just because it is red" which I've taken from Luke Christopher's Intro song on his TMRW TMRW mixtape. Quite simply it's another way of saying not to judge a book by its cover or take things for face-value. I may seem like I'm getting along fine, and when you ask me that is probably what I'd reply with. In order to avoid inconveniencing you with how I'm truly feeling I'll put up my wall.

"All jokes aside, don't tell me the way that I feel. 'Til you're inside you won't know what's lies or what's real (or if there's something wrong).

You'll alter and adapt your behaviour in order to conform with the expected behaviour in a particular environment. If these feelings, emotions, and struggles are not addressed then they fester into an uncontrollable internal struggle. Finding that line between taking matters into my own hands and reaching out for support has been a weekly task for me lately. This song is simply one of the ways I choose to probe deeper into how I'm truly feeling versus what people expect or think I'm feeling. As mentioned in the lyrics, how you see someone is based off the minor glimpses that they choose to reveal to you.

Lastly, a special mention has to go to the trumpet segment in the song that perfectly sits in the pockets of the bridge. Wow. If you take anything at all from this post let it at least be the appreciation for that!

Taking this "time off" has allowed me to put a bit more thought into how I'm going to progress with the blog. I do want to share music with everyone but, understandably, having to skim through my rants to get there can become quite boring. Looking to have a new structure to the website by the end of this month!