The Storm’s Unquiet Eye was born in the tour van. We were hours into one of the glorious, 10-hour stretches of highway that serve as a right of passage for all Australian bands, pelted with rain, and knee deep in conversation about god-knows-what. In response to some well made point or another, Rook said the first line ‘the words themselves are wisdoms’ nonchalantly like a character from some high fantasy about to dole out a side quest. It struck me as a masterful turn off phrase and I pretty much wrote the rest of the lyric in my head from the driver’s seat.
It is a little allegorical imagining, wherein a civilisation of birds keeps alive the memory of those of them that have fallen victim to extinction over the course of their combined existence. The birds know that the more they learn from history, the less likely they are to repeat it. They are surer if themselves by virtue of the fact that they know they are not impervious to the fate of their fallen ancestors, and humble and respectful of their place in natural order of things. If they ‘partly belong to the air’, they remain hopeful, aspirational and maintain their forward momentum. If they ‘partly belong to the world’ they are reminded of consequence, steadiness, and the power of gravity.
Special thanks to the inimitable @danibarnett_ for her powerhouse vocal harmony in the second half. Her voice was truly the last piece of this puzzle, and really takes the track where it needs to go.
Wirewalker Falls is out this Friday May 3rd.
Have / Hold 