Photo By: Abigail Haven
Due to the shock of being left in the lurch, the pall of depression numbs you to the core. However, while you are in the throes of it all, everyone left in your circle takes it upon themselves to help in their own ways. Whether it is well-meaning pieces of advice or a swift kick, neither are the solution to your particular emotional malady. NYC-based rocker, Teddy Cosmo, explores a state of melancholic limbo on his new single, “Wakeup Call.”
Greeted by a buzzing alarm clock and subsequent, passive click of snooze, “Wakeup Call” vaults straight into a series of abrasive riffs and crashing cymbals. In turn, tumbling, thrashing drums aggressively reinforce each chorus, conjuring up a loop of repetition mimicking the monotony of routine. In addition, the interlude led by “it doesn’t hurt that bad anymore” features fragmented, echoing vocals reverberating across a backdrop of cascading chords and punishing percussion. To cap it all off, hollow acoustics usher in a faint sense of clarity, giving way to a sense of surrender that “you’ll get the last word after all.”
The heart of “Wakeup Call” is the residual, physical depression that takes hold of you when someone abruptly leaves you. Partly, it’s about trying to stem the tide of misery with a minimal amount of self-care, but the safety of routine only goes so far. Of course, when you’re down and out, everyone else feels the need to chip in their two cents. Some take a velvet glove approach, others bombard you with tough love. On “Wakeup Call,” we get the best—or worst—of both worlds, the harmless “wake up early, you’ll feel better” and the ballistic “get your f*cking sh*t together.”
Altogether, “Wakeup Call” embodies the listlessness of being marooned by your own misery. Friends and family can reach out all they want, but their words will fall on deaf ears when you are this far adrift in your mind. In addition, as represented by the song’s own transition into a quieter finale and how it all “doesn’t hurt that bad anymore,” Teddy Cosmo hints at a nearby solace on the horizon, signaling a light at the end of the dreary tunnel.
Written by Travis Boyer
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