Indie artist Jen Wood, of Postal Service fame, has just released a single off her upcoming album Wilderness. “Run With The Wild Ones” is another addition to Wood’s successful solo career.
Wood’s began her solo career in 1996. She was a guest vocalist on The Postal Service, and sang for the duet “Nothing Better.” Since then, she’s collaborated with Joan of Arc and The Black Heart Procession, among others. Now, following her acclaimed 2012 album, Finds You In Love, comes this single.
“Run With The Wild Ones” begins pensive but strong, with a powerful instrumental start that decrescendos into Wood’s mellow vocals. The lyrics are chock full of imagery, and Wood’s voice manages to be sweet and melancholy simultaneously. It’s a story-telling song, that chugs along, adding guitar and piano, until it really picks up around two minutes in, with Wood crying out, “I always run with the wild ones.”
At first, “Run With The Wild Ones” sounds like a traditional soft rock, sentimental piece, but Wood tosses in electronic elements towards the end that add dimension and interest. Which is fitting, as the song is inspired by Wood’s feminist beliefs, as she explained in a statement about the song.
I wrote this song shortly after getting married. I was struggling to find my new identity, becoming a part of a new family and a totally new culture. I did this very “normal” and socially acceptable thing (marriage), and I found myself literally tying on an apron and becoming a homemaker. I was enjoying all of these super domestic things, and that was weird to realize — especially coming from a culture of feminism. For so long I just ran wild and free — nothing tied me down. In this song I wanted to acknowledge this hugely profound internal shift that happened in me; I was exposed to a side of life that I’d never known, and to me, it was very much like learning a foreign language, like seeing the world with brand new eyes. It was terrifying, beautiful and confusing all at the same time. Although I’ve been profoundly changed by these experiences, there’s still a part of me that will never conform to any mold. This song is for the rebels, the thinkers, the outsiders and the misunderstood: the wild ones.
Listen to the track here. Wilderness comes out October 14. You can pre-order the new album here.
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