By Daniel Warren Hill
Steady drums and a booming synth bass set the initial tone for “Wild Flower,” the latest single by psych rock / alternative rock band Astralien. Already the third single after the release February’s full length album, Aengus, “’Wild Flower’ is a song about resisting the information overload of the modern experience,” says songwriter Matt Gillen. “It’s an appeal to a return to simplicity and a recalibration of our culture’s attention span. It’s a longing for that rare something that outlasts trends and serves as a reminder to be present, at peace, and inspired.”
Fuzzy, psychedelic guitars noodle over the steady groove of “Wild Flower” while haunting atmospheric trills and crescendoing orchestral strings briefly emerge and then quickly vanish; perhaps these are musical metaphors reminding us of the brief nature of our existence. “Wild flower, won’t you grow upon me” is the song’s repeating prayer as Astralien seeks to be still long enough to allow the beauty of nature wash over them. One of the most powerful phrases in the song is only made possible by recognizing how synonymous swiping our phone has become with daily life:
Take a sit baby, but don’t look around / Swiping at the stars / Ya swipe the sun down
After completing the song, Astralien found camaraderie in the form of 18th century poet William Blake and his poem, “The Wildflower’s Song:”
As I wander’d the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a wild flower
Singing a song.
I slept in the Earth
In the silent night,
I murmur’d my fears
And I felt delight.
In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But O! met with scorn.
It is incredible to note that some form of distraction made it necessary for William Blake to capture these sentiments some 200 years ago, and, while the poem is certainly relevant in modern times, the urgency for modern poets like Astralien to reinterpret these sentiments for current and future generations remain.
Listen to “Wild Flower” below, and if you enjoy it, it is just the beginning of your journey with Astralien, as just the present year alone provides 12 brand new songs in the form February’s full-length album Aengus and follow up singles, “Aether,” and “O2.” Find this and more great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records.
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