I slipped into the sweetness of my upcoming weekend and decided to throw on this newer track from Empty Heaven, formed originally in San Antonio, Texas during the height of the COVID pandemic. I Don’t Understand It, a single off the first part (called Now I’m Laughing Again) of a massive body of work labeled “EGGSONG”, was released on March 7th of this year, with the rest of part one now available to listen to as of 3/14.
As I turn on this song for the first time, I’m met with a screeching electric guitar intro, immediately being pulled in and ready for what’s to come. The vocals come in next, and if you know me at all, vocals can either deter me or help me further fall in love with a piece. The vocals on this track are some of my FAVORITE I’ve heard in a long time, bordering on emo and indie, with a somewhat conversational and nonchalant nature.
Some lyrics that stood out to me on this track are: “It’s piling up on my right side / on the passenger on a night drive / the papers and the plastics / Eating bad food on a good night / it feels good, but it’s not right / It’s a temporary tactic”. When I heard those first few lines of lyrics, I felt them in my bones. As someone who gave up all other vices and committed myself to sobriety, food is my number one coping mechanism and a relationship I’ve been trying to heal since I was 8 years old.
I picture my own car at 18 or 19 years old, stacked with fast food bags, straw wrappers decorating the floor, late nights spent in the drive-thru and abandoned parking lots, and it hits me right in my chest.
Other lyrics I adore from this track are: “No one knows the trouble you’ve seen / suspended in a feeling like you’re always sixteen / I don’t understand it / Somebody tell me why / I walk out that door / and still, I hit a wall”. I just turned 28 in March of this year, and I joke about feeling like I’m still mentally somewhere between 16-19 years old. There are a lot of emotions I felt at those ages that I still find myself coming across these days. Feeling like I have little to no control over my external world, and a nagging sense of obligation, and realizing I am but a baby bird that has fallen out of the nest, unsure of the future and how to walk the best path toward my desires.
The love I have for this track led me to dig into their discography and I can’t wait to hear all of the sounds in the upcoming releases for “EGGSONG”. Empty Heaven has been added to my love list, and I’m even thinking of copping the cassette or other merch items soon.
Stream I Don’t Understand It on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify now!
Written by Newt Fangs
