I’ve been feeling burned out from my day job lately as if I’m just running purely on fumes and WAY too much caffeine. In an attempt to recover, I decided to end my week by promising myself I would spend the next few days listening to music that excites me, and by doing things I enjoy with no expectation of production.
Shortly after that, I ran across this artist submission, and WOW! This new single by H_ngm_n called, Reach Out, ignited something in me and started to help me fill up my empty cup.
The first chunk of lyrics in this song really stuck with me, “Thought I’d put those dark days behind me / but I still feel the shadow creeping over my shoulder / Over and over again / Take me by these weathered hands / they’re all cut up from digging deep enough to bury this all down”. As someone who is constantly striving for self-improvement, owns (and reads) way too many self-help books, and is my own worst critic, I loved how those feelings were presented and brought to life in this track.
The common phrase, “One step forward and two steps back”, is brought to life in this track and is best described by the band themselves, “Reach Out is a song about the feeling of drowning, and despite best efforts to keep afloat, sometimes life & the world around you can just feel a bit too much.”
Amen to that. I relate to that most days, but especially now during this period of work burnout.
Alongside thoughtful and relatable lyrics, the pop-punk/emo instrumentation of this track has me feeling excited, hopeful, and intrigued by this band, as well as the future of this genre of music as a whole.
This single, Reach Out, is the first release from one of UK’s best emo bands, H_ngm_n, since 2020. We can expect their debut album to drop sometime this year, and I can’t even pretend to hide my excitement. Plus, I just saw that they’re opening for Michael Cera Palin soon…what a life-altering combo! Keep an eye out for more to come from H_ngm_n and stream Reach Out on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and more!
Written by Newt Fangs
