59. A catchy meditation on retail therapy
Inspiration to reclaim our identities, or maybe just to declutter.
suggested reading method
To best savour this artwork, please take a moment to eliminate distractions. Consider minimizing all other windows on your computer; putting other devices (phone, tv etc) aside; taking a deep breath, to the full extent of your lung capacity; and focusing solely on the “artwork” section.
Once you’ve processed that to your satisfaction, the rest of the post is optional reading, provided only to share my own impressions and reasons for choosing this piece.
artwork
“House and Leisure” by M Field, off his EP Re: M Field.
interpretation
I loved this song the first time I heard it, and loved it even more after paying attention to the lyrics. The bright, quick-paced melody belies the foreboding message that in many ways, modern consumers are losing ourselves to that which we consume. We know I love a happy-sad song, and this contrast certainly fits the brief!
Please indulge me as I unpack some of my favourite lyrics, which are highly-specific references concealed by catchy rhymes. In the verses, M Field names things we mindlessly devour each day: “Winter morning sun / Get the Wordle done / Watching Wimbledon / On a giant Samsung.” He also alludes to the environmental harm of e-commerce giants, with the humorous undertone that anything we do (or don’t do) is just a drop in the bucket: “as the Amazon burns / I water my little fern / I bought on Amazon Prime.”
However, this song isn’t a simple environmentalist take. In the chorus, Field extrapolates that we imagine and desire others based on who we think they are – and that image is based on what we see them consume. “When I wanted your hand / You were just a mirage.” He is self-aware enough to acknowledge this tendency in his own, outward-facing identity as well: “And now you want to make plans / But I’m just a collage of everything / You’ve ever dreamed of.”
Perhaps in recognition that this is already mind-reeling, the bridge of the song is both refreshing and clever. This section starts by decreasing the instrumental volume and declaring in a very meta fashion, “Something to cleanse your palate now.” Field names objects that actually cleanse the palate: “a bowl of coffee beans / Pickled ginger”. What a fun, unexpected way to engage our taste and smell! Plus, Field follows through on the bridge’s promise, and shifts the last chorus to “a different key,” which feels just shy of euphoric.
Field alludes to some dark issues, and unfortunately doesn’t suggest a solution in this song. However, a song doesn’t have to be a full-on essay. Pieces like this are important in bringing our shared human issues to the fore – all while making light of them, in an entertaining and broadly-appealing way.
Shining this light on existential darkness is the first step to a stronger consciousness. And for me, this send-up of consumerism is good incentive to pare back my belongings and media, and focus on that which truly speaks to my soul.
context
Matthew Field is an indie pop singer/songwriter from South Africa, now based in London. Previously the lead singer of the Cape Town band Beatenberg, he went solo during the pandemic, and has released two EPs under the moniker M Field.
Did you enjoy this song? Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments!