Willow is someone who has always intrigued me. Over the years, I have heard quite a few of her songs and enjoyed them. I have never, however, truly dove into her music; I am excited I have the opportunity to do so now. Willow’s progression with her musicianship since she debuted has been astounding. If you have not paid attention to Willow’s growth as an artist, you may only remember Willow for her iconic yet cheesy single ‘Whip My Hair’ back in 2010. Willow quickly diverted from that Hip Hop sound not long after she released that track, and has slowly been migrating towards Alternative music in the years since. Willow’s debut album, 2015’s ARDIPITHECUS, does have elements of Hip Hop but also ventures into Industrial, Neo-Soul, and Rock music. This album received mixed reviews. Willow was praised for her ventures into these new sounds, but the album feels a bit scattered and lacks consistency. Willow continued to veer toward Rock and Soul music with her next several releases, 2017’s The 1st, 2019’s WILLOW, 2020’s THE ANXIETY, 2021’s lately I feel EVERYTHING, and 2022’s <COPINGMECHANISM>. Each of these albums was viewed as an improvement upon the last. The 1st was viewed as a solid improvement of the ideas of her debut record. By the time she reached <COPINGMECHANISM>, it felt like Willow had truly come into her own. This album was mightily lauded by music fans and critics alike when it was released. It received major acclaim and is thought of as one of the best albums of 2022 by many people. It is easy to see that Willow found herself on <COPINGMECHANISM>. Two years after that record, Willow is back with a new one, called empathogen. Willow can really cement herself as a star in Alternative music with this one if it has the quality of its predecessor. With that being said, here is how I feel about Willow’s empathogen. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from empathogen, and also comment on how you feel about the project as a whole!
I will say that I did not know what to expect going into this record having not had a ton of experience with Willow’s music. I was thrown for a loop in a great way with the song ‘home,’ which features jon batiste. The first thing I will say is that jon batiste’s hands are certainly all over this track. It is easy to hear that he had a heavy hand in the song’s production and composition by its sound. ‘home’ has a super off-kilter and Soulful Jazz sound that is very strange and enthralling. The melody for this track has a bright tone, but the way the piano is played and the way the vocals are hummed which drive this melody, as well as the way the drums are played, gives ‘home’ a very anxious feeling. As cool as this instrumental is, the best thing about ‘home’ is Willlow’s vocals. She sings with so much range and power in this track, giving ‘home’ a heavy feeling that really hits the listener hard. On ‘home,’ Willow sings of trying to open herself up to the world and go with the flow, as things are always changing around her and she wants to learn to cope with these changes. ‘ancient girl’ is a short and simple song with a quirky Folk music feeling to it. The tone of this track sort of reminds me of Kate Bush. It does not have the kind of Poppy drums that a lot of Kate Bush music has(in fact, this song has no drums), but the guitar riff that drives this melody does make me think a lot of the sort of unsettling yet engrossing melodies she is known for. Willow’s vocals on ‘ancient girl’ are even weirder and sharper than the instrumental. Like the first track, her vocal performance on ‘ancient girl’ makes the song feel so much more weighty. On ‘ancient girl,’ Willow is singing about how in modern society we do not appreciate the beauty and value of the world around us as much as people in ancient times did. Because of this, she has a tough time fitting into today’s society. ‘symptom of life.’ was one of the two singles released in anticipation of this record. This is an additional track that feels like it has jon batiste’s hands all over it. His name is not in the production credits, but I would actually be surprised to learn that he did not play the piano on this one(I feel like he had to, considering its tone and style). Even though this track does have that quirky Jazz piano riff, the overall feeling of the track is not Jazzy, The way the complementary instruments (such as the guitar and bass) and drums are played gives this song a bit of a Pop-Punk feeling. It is like a Jazzy and Folky version of some of the music from earlier in Paramore’s career. The instrumental for this song is very engaging, and Willow’s vocals are even more so. The fluctuation in her vocals and the power she sings with gives the track so much vigor. On ‘symptom of life,’ Willow sings about wrestling with the fact that her life is in her own hands but also feeling like so many things in her life are out of her control. ‘the fear is not real’ is the second song in a row that feels at least partly inspired by mid-2000s Rock music. It also has elements that feel influenced by 1990s Industrial Breakbeat of Drum n Bass music. It is like a fusion of music that is akin to artists like Three Days Grace and music that is akin to artists like The Prodigy. This is quite an unusual combination of sounds, but I have to say that it works pretty well. Like the first few songs of the record, this melody is somewhat pleasant but also apprehensive. Willow kills it with her vocals once again on ‘the fear is not real.’ The tone of this instrumental is already perturbed, and Willow’s vocals make the song even more so. On ‘the fear is not real,’ Willow is singing about how nothing in her life is as serious as it seems, and that none of her problems are specific to her.
Willow increases the tempo and energy on the next track, ‘false self.’ This is a really cool track with a sound that is extremely complex. There are elements of Emo music, Trap music, and Synth-Pop in ‘false self.’ There are even instances where the beat and melody have a bit of a Disco-House to them. The melody for ‘false self,’ which is provided by vocals, a guitar riff, and synths, is bright and dark sounding at the same time, going well with the craziness of the beat. Once again, Willow’s vocals on ‘false self’ are rangey and strong, adding so much to the track. On ‘false self,’ Willow is singing about struggling to find her purpose and change the things in her life that would make it feel more complete. After speeding things up, Willow brings the album to a crashing halt with ‘pain for fun,’ which features St. Vincent. This is a soft Folk Rock song with a Psychedelic tint to it. Much of the track is Acoustic, but there are moments when a light drum beat comes in. The melody for ‘pain for fun’ is very gloomy and makes the song feel so desolate. The vocals from Willow and St. Vincent on ‘pain for fun’ are delicate and sit so nicely on the instrumental. Although ‘pain for fun’ is the faintest song of the album so far, it is easily one of the most impactful due to this vocal performance. On ‘pain for fun,’ Willow and St. Vincent are singing about relating to someone who makes them emotional. They always feel so out of place and are grateful to meet someone who feels similarly. ‘no words 1 & 2’ almost feels like a little interlude halfway through the record. This 1:24 minute track honestly sounds like a little riffing section. The first section of the track consists of a Punk Rock/Breakbeat fusion with a fun little electric guitar-driven melody. The second section has an upbeat Jazzy sound driven by a frantic piano melody. In both sections of ‘no words 1 & 2,’ Willow scats and hums over the melody, showing her ear for tone. This is an entertaining little piece that breaks off the solemn feeling of the album. ‘down’ brings back the somber tone that most of the album has had before ‘no words 1 & 2.’ At 1:11, this track is even shorter than the one before it. This is a slow and soft Jazz Pop track with a very somber tone. Even though the melody has a dejected tone, the bass that drives the melody almost makes the song feel cozy. The coziness of ‘down’ is added to by Willow’s vocal performance, which is so velvety and sweet. On ‘down,’ Willow sings that she is finding herself and wants to make sure she does everything she can to not fail her new friend(or partner).
‘run’ ramps up the energy of the album again in an abrupt manner. The instrumental for this one is actually not that intense or tough, though. Most of the energy of the track comes from Willow’s awesome vocals. ‘run’ has a groovy sound that is very reminiscent of old-school Psychedelic Funk Rock music. The instrumental is such an earworm, and Willow’s vocals add to this track’s supreme catchiness. Willow’s vocals are definitely what make this song so enjoyable. On ‘run,’ Willow is singing about distancing herself from someone negative in her life and not letting this person affect her happiness. ‘between i and she’ is a track that brings back the Emo-Rock elements that have been somewhat prevalent on this record. ‘between i and she’ is a track that I could see ending up becoming a sleeper hit. It has the kind of angsty and poignant sound that I think will stick with people and become really big on Tik Tok and Instagram. What’s weird is there is nothing about ‘between i and she’ that necessarily sticks out. It is just so snappy and so well put together that it will stick in your mind when you hear it. The song has a bit of an overall panicky energy to it that makes it pop. On ‘between i and she,’ Willow is singing about letting go of her physical self and finding the reason for her spiritual existence. ‘“i know that face”’ is the quirkiest track on the record, which is saying a lot. This song has a classic off-kilter Jazz sound that is as captivating as it is unsettling. This song has a sound that is inviting and grating at the same time. Willow’s vocals on ‘“i know that face”’ are just as scattered as the instrumental. Like this unusual melody and beat, her vocals draw me in and push me away. On ‘“i know that face”,’ Willow is singing about not wanting to see her partner feel distressed and trying to do what she can to help this person feel better. Willow closes out empathogen with the second single released in anticipation of this record, ‘b i g f e e l i n g s.’ This song feels like a combination of the Jazzy elements of this record and the Punk Rock elements. The piano-driven melody for ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ is very distressed and Jazzy, yet the drum beat has a bit more or an upbeat Rock sound. This makes ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ stick out and shine. Willow’s vocals on ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ are dynamic and engrossing, and they fit the instrumental super well. On ‘b i g f e e l i n g s,’ Willow is singing about trying to accept the fact that she will always feel very deeply emotional about everything. It is about coming to terms with who you are.
I went into Willow’s empathogen pretty optimistic but had no idea what to expect. I am glad that I was so blind and open-minded when it came to what Willow’s sound on this album could be because it made empathogen that much more surprising and exciting. empathogen is a deeply emotional album on all fronts. Its lyricism is introspective and existential, and its sound matches this feeling. empathogen has a sonic style that is just as complex as its lyrical theme. Willow certainly wanted to make sure she kept the listeners on their toes on this record, and she achieves that with empathogen. I will say that the album’s sound is a little scattered and throws me for a loop at times, but that is okay because I appreciate the vision and passion that is so evident. empathogen was a pleasant surprise for me as someone who had not had much experience with Willow’s music before this, and not only will I definitely be coming back to this album frequently in the near future, but it also makes me excited to listen to whatever she puts out next!
EAST SIDE VIBES 