Townies by Wednesday: Addressing the Rumor Mill in Small-Town America

Hello, my silly friends. This year, Wednesday has been one of my TOP artists and for very good reason. Rat Saw God is a beautiful exploration of nostalgia and dread using a mix of genres including alt-country, shoegaze, and indie rock. Their cover album, Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'Em Up, is probably my favorite cover album of all time, with their cover of Perfect by the Smashing Pumpkins being one of my top songs of the summer. This year, they released their sixth studio album, Bleeds, on September 19th.

Bleeds is an absolutely fantastic album, and lead singer, Karly Hartzman agrees. She and the band are proud of this album, with Hartzman stating, "This is what Wednesday songs are supposed to sound like. We've devoted a lot of our lives to figuring this out - and I feel like we did."

Bleeds by Wednesday Album Cover

I am such a big fan of the themes of this whole album: grief and violence. Songs recall stories of fights, a murder suicide, a dead body found in a creek, a car crash, and small-town rumors. Although these are dark themes, Hartzman herself believes that if you do not acknowledge that grief, death, and violence is present in everyday life "you're lying to yourself," and therefore, she does not see it as a "dark record." Lyrically and musically, Bleeds is on another level.

While the band is based in North Carolina, their music reminds me of the Midwest, which is why I am writing this blog today. Southern gothic elements, predecessor to Midwest gothic, are present in their music, as well as themes of the dirtiness and realness of small-town America.

I love Bleeds as a whole, but a recent favorite of mine is the second song on the album, "Townies." It blends alt-country and indie rock to produce an emotional and raw account of the effects of teenage gossip in a small town, especially on young women first exploring their sexuality in high school. Hartzman wrote this song based on the experiences of herself and a friend, adding a deep personal touch to "Townies," like many of their songs.

I love Hartzman's explanation of the song as a whole:

"The song "Townies" is about how a young women's sexuality, especially when they are first encountering it at a young age, is often weaponized against them in the gossip cycles of a highschool. I write from experience, both my own and a dear friend of mine, who had rumors spread about them that could deeply affect or potentially define our social standing.

At the end of the song, I look back and forgive anyone who contributed to this. Even I, as a victim of the rumor mill, wasn't immune to sharing little scandals with my friends when I came across them. Cause at the end of the day, teenagers have no idea who the f-ck they are or how what they do might be hurting someone, all you can do is hope everyone grew up to become decent and empathic adults."

Not only does "Townies" explore the rumor mill surrounding young women's sexuality, but it also explores death too, which I think is one of the most interesting parts of the song:

Met you in the neighborhood you had

Connects to get us high and then

You sent my nudes around

I never yelled at you about it

'Cause you

Died

While this person did her terribly wrong and something unforgivable, there is still an aspect of grief to it. The person died before she could even confront them about it, which, in my opinion, showcases the duality of human interactions and feelings. You can still be angry and experience grief about the same person. This is something Wednesday does very well in many of their songs.

My favorite part of the song is the end:

Off I-40

Crawled into your life, begging on my knees

And I get it now

You were 16 and bored and drunk

And they're just townies

Like Hartzman said earlier, this is the part of the song about forgiveness and recognizing that many of the contributors of the rumor mill are a product of their environment. Here, I am not entirely sure if Hartzman is forgiving the person who did her wrong directly or just the people apart of the rumor mill; HOWEVER, I still think it is a powerful and raw confrontation. Personally, I could never forgive someone who did anything remotely close to what was done to her and her friend, but I find it admirable that Hartzman can.

The music video for "Townies" is also so cool, and it taps into the sorority culture in the South, where rumors begin, spread, and proliferate. The sorority women in the video all get together and party at a DIY backyard show, where Wednesday performs, showcasing women empowerment, support, and a community where, in my interpretation, they defeat the rumor mill together.

The video, filmed in North Carolina, reminds me a lot of small towns in the Midwest (even though it is in the South). Small town culture across America has many similarities, and I think Wednesday taps into this in "Townies."

You can watch the music video for "Townies" here:

I highly recommend checking out Wednesday if you have not already (I know many of you have and are big fans!). I hope you enjoyed reading this blog, 'cause I sure had a fun time writing it.

Farewell, and see you all next Wednesday.

Cover image taken by Philm Magazine.