We’ve all been here before. You’ve set aside nights on your calendar to get out—maybe catch a gig, hang out at a friend’s house, hop bars, whatever. Then the date rolls around, the sun sets, and the darkness settles in. Not just the literal dusk outside, but the pitch that tugs at your will. Granted, most of this video happens in broad daylight, because in “Stay at Home” Wesley Johnson, aka WesdaRuler, is dragged down by an even more insidious pull. “There’s comfort in my sad state / Depression is my safe place,” he tells us, as he mopes on his synths and chills with his Pokemon plushies instead of his homies or co-workers. He might sound all cool with his downtempo funk vibes, but don’t be fooled: this homemaker is clearly running on empty.
In reality, as a hustling MC, father, and husband, the Athens-based beat maker can never stay holed up for too long. To be fair, he did beaver away for years on his own retro boom bap loops, but ever since Johnson linked up with lounge-dwelling hip-hop squad Space Dungeon back in 2016, he’s been tapping out tracks and spitting monotone bars all over town. But “Stay at Home” succinctly captures the fatigue that creeps into even the most acclimated introverts, as Johnson weighs out all other plans for the day with a resigned shrug. And yet, by showing us himself at his soul-drained lowest, WesdaRuler admits he’s got plenty of soul to lose—like any of us really, as long as we know how to roll with the dark times and shuffle out at our own sweet pace.
Watch/listen above.
“Stay at Home” is from the forthcoming LP Ocean Drive, out Sept. 13. Pre-orders are available here.
WesdaRuler will perform on Sun., July 28 at the World Famous alongside Gauche, Post Pink, and Eureka California. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $7.50.
More Info
Bandcamp: wesdaruler.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @wesdaruler
Instagram: @wesdaruler
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/wesdaruler
Twitter: @WesdaRuler