PJ Harvey: “This Mess We’re In – Demo” Single Review
PJ Harvey uses the foils of the natural setting and the industrial backed by a static and consistent guitar to perfectly encapsulate the simultaneous feeling of chaos and nothingness in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.
It’s strange how it the most chaotic of times that it is possible to feel so much and so little at the same time. Among the current events, protests, political battles, medical chaos, and personal struggles swirling by around in the boiling pot at the abandoned party of 2020, with all of the party songs celebrating with a mask of happiness across their face, a song that is simple and muted is one of the more different singles I’ve seen dropped in the midst of the pandemic.
I do like to think positively around the start of a new year, but as many of us sit on the side of the grassy hill to watch the first sunrise of the year, PJ Harvey’s single, “This Mess We’re In” sheds light on the reality that is the world right now.
The song is dominated by the idea of the sun rising over the river and setting over the city, but the other lyrics suggest an opposite setting: an industrial setting with helicopters circling above, the smoke and roaring of the freeway, and the sirens blaring throughout the streets. The guitar is steady and unchanging, save a few bits of emphasis added in the strokes. “I think it’s Wednesday/The evening,” Harvey muses. Fitting for a time lapse video, the guitar rolls and trudges along, tying the foils of the natural setting and the industrial with one unifying concept: time. It is constant and static in its progression, but the days are bleeding together just as Harvey’s whispers in the third verse clashing with her vocals and making it nearly impossible to understand what is being said or where she is in the measure. And yet, nothing is happening: the music is mellow and quiet, not busy or chaotic. Yes, what a mess we are indeed in.
I’ve got to give it to her, it can be hard to please with a song with such a static melody. The whispers are irritating, but get better with each listen. Her hushed voice is a bit of an acquired taste, but compared to other similar vocalists like Billie Eilish, it is more like the tang of a bittersweet chocolate chip rather than a strip of black licorice. I’m not jumping at the trigger to name it the greatest song of the year as of yet, but the song paints the scene of a masterpiece and perfectly encapsulate the tone and vibe of the ongoing crisis in an almost eerie manner.
Rating: 4/5
