“death knell”: ifwewait’s Debut Indie-Folk Album Carries Us into Sad Kid Fall
Death Knell is a phrase referring to the tone of a bell that sounds to mark someone’s death. However, for ifwewait, death knell is actually a sound of birth, titling their debut indie-folk album. This album is full of acoustic guitar strums, gentle piano melodies, interlaced with some gritty electric guitar and lyrics full of longing, desperation, and reflection. If you’re gearing up for a sad-kid-fall as we fade into September, this is the album for you.
ifwewait "death knell" album cover (photo by Snow Ellet, Design by Samuel Aaron)
The opening track “martyr’s song” starts off with a simple guitar strumming pattern as we wait for the singer’s deep voice to enter. We’re immediately introduced to a recurring theme of reflection, particularly on a past relationship (or perhaps many relationships) that didn’t work out for one reason or another: I miss you, but can’t control the pace, of when everything seems to fall into place. About halfway through this track, I dimmed the lights in my room, knowing this album deserves to be listened to in gentle warm lighting. A simple but heartfelt track that leads us into the rest of the album.
“halloween” follows, my personal favorite of the album. The opening guitar riff brings a Midwest emo sound to this track, contrasting with the chorus that cuts most of the instrumentals down with a distance effect on the vocals, as the protagonist begs what the subject’s actions meant. The slow-down and acoustic fade out leading into a building outro, continuing to wander through all the “what ifs?” of the situation.
If you don’t already have both headphones on/in, you need to for the title track, “death knell”. Intentional production is such an important part of album construction, and this was not overlooked in this album. The chorus layers the left side with strumming of the chords, while the right side has a more complex strumming and plucking pattern, creating depth to the instrumentation. You’re my death knell, you’re my tragedy, the singer reflects on the complicated ending of a relationship, even considering themselves the monster in your closet. . .the shadow on your door.
Again, with the intentional production elements, the previous track fades perfectly into the swirling intro of “u still”. The twinkling background piano layered with acoustic guitar creates a gentler feel to this track, as we continue to reflect on someone from the past, navigating feelings that linger in a present situation that may not fit: but I’m here right now, I feel it somehow u still love me, u still want me. “denny’s” brings us amix of acoustic strumming with a gritty electric guitar in the distance, alongside the layered vocals in the chorus creating a really cool instrumentation and ominous tone. The lyrics here are a little more self-exposing, talking about the singer’s personal feelings and emotional patterns in this situation.
“waltz”, titled after the song’s triple meter rather than the lyrics. the delicate piano melody and simply drum rhythm give us a different feel that the other guitar-based track, as the protagonist continues to long for the subject that is no longer around. The production of “dnd” creates another ominous and nostalgic feel to this track. The piano is layered over indiscernible background noise, with a vocal effect the singer sound far away. Thought the lyrics are hard to make out in this one, the general feel of the song is communicated through the production elements. On theme with the title, “jesus saves” utilizes structured background chords that reference an organ, another track that lyrically focuses more on raw, personal moments and emotions from the singer. “w/u”, abbreviated for “with you”, this track is once again revisiting the feeling of being haunted by someone from the past that’s no longer around. A similar distancing vocal effect as previous tracks contributes to the haunting, nostalgic feel.
ifwewait. (photo by Snow Ellet)
Another personal favorite as a fellow Chicago resident, “chicago” seems to be moving a little more into acceptance, though we’re not completely there yet. Chicago, sing me to sleep. I’m too tired to figure out what’s wrong with me, the singer begs the city to help them find peace with it all. Mid-song, we get a bridge that slows down and simplifies, as the singer continues to plead and come to terms with everything that’s happened, bringing us an outro that fades perfectly once again into the next track, “over”. This is all too much and somehow not enough; the singer describes the subject’s indecision and coming to terms with whatever choice they’ll make. The album wraps up with “rome” a piano-based ballad that feels a little more forgiving, a little more hopeful though still melancholic. Rome wasn’t build in a day, I’m getting better now, they sing, solidifying the album’s theme of reflection and complex feelings on a relationship from the past.
As a debut album, death knell maintains a cohesive theme of longing, heartbreak, wrestling the complexity of leaving someone in your past. The intentionality behind production, utilizing different instrumentation elements and fading flows from one track to the next reflects the detail with which ifwewait created this album. Many of these tracks will find themselves on my fall playlist, soundtracking the walks through Chicago as the air turns crisp.
