Bacchanalia Magazine

by Reb Jordin

An alternative singer songwriter named Artemis, hailing from Suffolk but now based in Manchester, released his single ‘The Waves’ on March 15th . The poetic lyrics and celebratory melody tell the story of growing up and escaping the tidal wave of teenage-hood.

Opening with the tranquil sound of waves and the gentle strum of a guitar, ‘The Waves’ fully immerse the listener within its seaside atmosphere its name draws inspiration from. The single soon explores the theme of being trapped within your youth in the carefully crafted lyrics, ‘fall, into the cracks between the pavements. Into the woods I disappear.’ Artemis beautifully captures the feeling of wanting to dissolve from everyday life with the pastoral imagery of Mother Nature, the one constant maternal force that can help us forget and escape the angst of teenage-hood and the over-trusting innocence of childhood. The artist himself has said, “the song started as a reflective poem, inspired by the local scenery near my home area in Suffolk, completed with the acoustic guitar and some gentle lead on the electric. Later, when the time came about to create demos to share with my bandmates, I added the drums and keys on logic. The recorded version, however, features collaborations from my good friends Matt, on lead guitar, and Luke, on drums. I am very grateful to them for helping the song take shape.” The verse then closes with the heartbreaking lyrics, ‘I am a box of secrets that you can’t unlock, and I swallowed the key to make it stop.’ This paints the picture of being young and feeling like you need to keep your individuality a secret out of fear that not everyone in your life will embrace your true self. The whole title of the single implies the waves of teenage-hood drowning you, until you learn to swim into adulthood where you can choose your own life and surround yourself with the people that support you.

With a satisfying guitar riff we enter the chorus through the lyrics, ‘stand up get clean. Run from this battle scene.’ These words tell the listener that in adulthood we can finally be freed from the shackles of the controlled and claustrophobic teenage years. The triumphant chorus is accompanied by a steady drumbeat reminiscent of a battle march into the war of adolescence as the teenage dream is a fantasy for many young people. Listeners are then greeted with the lyrics, ‘get up get high. I’m still standing six feet dry.’ This moment conveys the hope of a time free and safe from the choppy waves of growing up where water no longer fills our lungs, and we can breathe again.

‘The Waves’ soon enters its final chorus after a second verse and killer musical interval. The final chorus invites listeners to dance within the revelry of overcoming their toxic teenage years, a time which is forever referred to as the golden years of your life but in reality, is just an ocean of emotional turmoil.

So go and give ‘The Waves’ lots of love on its release date, the single has been four years in the making and is clearly the product of a lot of hard work and passion. Don’t hesitate to feel the catharsis Artemis creates for yourself and be forever changed.