At risk of expecting artists' messages to be too on-the-head, it's often tempting to seek meaning about the pandemic, the election and all things 2020 whenever a new song arrives from an up-and-coming act.
You don't have to wonder about Rodeo Glow's debut single "Hollywood" though, because the duo of Whoa Dakota's Jesse Ott and Tuxedo Wildlife's Collin Gundry purposefully offer a spiritual-minded take on our current situation.
"I wrote this song about wrestling with uncertainty and learning to trust the universe, or God, or whatever you'd like to call it," Ott says. "There are so many ways we can feel separate from one another in this life. I wanted to reach out to whoever was listening and assure them that they aren't an island; that you never have to carry your struggles and pain alone."
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Ott then got more specific about coping with a year during which live music went from a constant to something that might be in long-term danger.
"Social media, and recent events, and the divisiveness of the world can feel very isolating, but I really do believe we are in this point of pain and growth for a reason," she says. "It's here to call us to our higher selves. Really, there are only two options, we move through this stronger than ever, or we don't make it as a species. That sounds really dark but it oddly gives me a sense of comfort.
"I can't fully explain it but I feel this sense of 'cracking open'," she adds. "Like all the things that used to terrify me before are becoming things that comfort me; the size and expansiveness of the universe, uncertainty, not having a plan, not having a sense of security, meditation. At least for me personally it all feels like a spiritual awakening of some kind."
The track features Blake Reams (Becca Mancari) on pedal steel.
"Hollywood" Lyrics
Just like a river in my mind
You're flowing through me right on time
And there's a reason I can't see what's really happening
I'm too close to me
For whatever reason it's a rolling stone
This little trip we're on
But honey you're not alone
You won't catch me pretending that it's Hollywood
But it happens as it should and it's really just getting good
And I'm inclined to wait it out
But there's been times I've had my doubts
We're drifting on a spinning rock
That used to scare me but now it's enough
For whatever reason it's a rolling stone
This little trip we're on
And honey, I'm getting old
You won't catch me pretending that it's Hollywood
But it happens as it should and it's really just getting good
