Post Description

Singer-songwriter.

The complexities of queer love.

Atwater was introduced to me via Instagram reels early this Friday morning. I was scrolling aimlessly, unable to sleep and I stumbled upon one of his previous singles “Why Did You Invite Me to Your Wedding” and watching him strum and pluck the strings of his guitar so delicately, singing softly from the heart, lying in bed in the middle of the night, I felt something deep within me, a connection. I was immediately drawn into his world of soft, queer folk which felt so gently woven into each string of his guitar. The lyrics were personal while still about a universal queer experience. That one person who you secretly crush on but fear talking to about your affection because what if they don’t feel the same, or worse, what if they’re not queer.
Listening I knew I needed this right now and I went to his profile and saw that he had a debut album on the way. It was releasing Friday the 7th of March. It was Friday morning currently, around 3am to be exact. So, I sat down and listened to the full record; it was only about half an hour, but I had high hopes given the singular song I had already heard, and I was blown away.

Achilles is such a wonderful little thing. It’s full of moments that feel incredibly intimate and personal as if you were sat by a lake listening to your partner play their guitar, serenading you with their soft cherished melodies. You can feel each pluck, each noodle. It’s raw and the lyrics match that feel as well. Songs such as “Jailer”, “Lonely Gift”, and “Ferry Beer” are slow and lyrically dense with their main focus being storytelling, but still not letting that take away from any of the gorgeous guitar playing. “Jailer” is probably my favourite song on here (or at least tied with a song I’ll talk about in a bit). Its structurally perfect and its story is captivating to listen to. I believe it to be the best written song on the record as the lyrics depict such simple and sometimes crude things (i.e. having sex in the back of a car, trying to masturbate to that same moment later on) but they do so in such a beautifully sublime way.

“The bed in my house
I try to get off but can't picture you now
The backs of my eyelids are lonely and black
Now all that I see is all that I have
When you think of me, is that all that I am?”

The way the vocals are delivered as well are perfect for this song. It manages to make me not cringe at the depiction of sex and masturbation in songs which is quite the feat, as very often it comes off as corny or unnecessary. Atwater has a way with his words which just makes everything that he sings sound like poetry.

There are some faster, more intensely paced songs as well. “Jamie’s Daydreams”, “The Cage”, and the title track “Achilles” are the biggest examples. “Jamie’s Daydreams” is incredibly fun and catchy, probably the “poppiest” song on the record besides possibly the title track. It’s also tied for my favourite. I picture scenes of lying in the grass, laughing with friends, feeling it on our bare backs. It feels like bliss, until it isn’t. The sudden shift in the refrain changes the entire tone of the song and is masterfully crafted to hook you in even further and makes that bridge and outro feel all the more powerful. The darker turn that the song takes is incredible and honestly? I kind of wish there were more songs like this on the record. “The Cage” is the closest we get to another song in a similar vein. It’s much heavier, being the only song (I believe) to feature an electric guitar. It’s a song about a predatory relationship between Atwater at 16 and an older man. The “cage” that he refers to is his age and the chorus highlights this by first singing it from the older man’s perspective then shifting to Atwater’s. It’s a song that showcases what happens to people in those kinds of situations but also what can happen well after. Atwater threatens him during the second chorus suggesting heavily that if he finds him again he will hurt him, or worse.

What I hear listening to a lot of this album is Sufjan Stevens, and I don’t just say that because of the twinkly guitars and the high voice. I can hear his passion and soul within these songs, and while I wouldn’t put them up there with his best works such as Carrie and Lowell or Javelin, I think that Atwater has the chance and ability to reach those heights given time and strength in his songwriting ability. He already has a lot of talent that is clearly on display here, but I know even more can be unleashed. Songs such as “Jailer” display qualities that I would attribute to Sufjan’s best work (the first song that comes to mind is “All of Me Wants All of You” off of Carrie and Lowell).
Achilles is an amazing debut effort, and I suppose this is a good thing, but it leaves me wanting so much more. Not because I feel it’s lacking, but because I know that it can only go up from here. I’m excited to see Atwater’s name next to people like Sufjan and Hadreas.

Tracks:
01. Threat 
02. Jamie's Daydreams 
03. Jailer 
04. The Cage 
05. Lonely Gift 
06. Call of Duty 
07. Family Party 
08. rigami Roses 
09. Ferry Bbeer 
10. Huntley 
11. Achilles 

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyryP0PTg-Q