In Wiley from Atlanta’s world, love is forever fickle. It depends on the vagaries of the moment, the idiosyncrasies of the persons involved. As such, he tends to approach the topic from opposite extremes—either the emotional connections run strong and deep or else there are barriers in place, usually in the form of another lover. It’s not exactly the difference between making love and fucking, although that particular chasm does rear its head on “It Rains.” The new single is the closest I’ve heard Wiley come to making a true-blue breakup song, one where the desire for physical intimacy continues to invade his thoughts even though he can’t shake the image of his ex sleeping with someone else.
The track also marks of the artist’s more dramatic cuts; instead of the billowing soundscapes and atmospheric beats that often populate Wiley’s music, producer DvDx sketches out a steely framework populated by murky synths and minimalist percussion. The backdrops serves Wiley’s gritty croon particularly well, allowing plenty of space for his winding melodies to branch out and unfold. Still, it’s a song continually in search of cathartic release, and while the chorus seems built as a mechanism to open the flood gates, the aura of despondency that courses through the song never quite goes away. Even a verse from the normally sunny Kenny Mason won’t allow the light to stream through, and in the end we’re left stranded much where we started—beneath ominous skies with the rain storming down in heavy sheets. It’s not where we’d like to be, of course, but sometimes life is about surviving the moment—and finding beauty in the tumult.
Listen below.
Wiley from Atlanta will perform on Fri., Feb. 8 at the Drunken Unicorn alongside Superbody and Antarcticats. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the door. 18+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: wileyatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @wileyatl
Instagram: @wileyatl
SoundCloud: @wileyatl
Twitter: @wileyatl