Westerman – “Edison”
Though Westerman’s been releasing music here and there for a couple of years now, the London singer-songwriter really started to make waves earlier this year when he released his brilliant new single “Confirmation.” The song was so strange, so unique, and so effortlessly beautiful that it immediately garnered him a new level of buzz. Once its sinuous melody had fully lodged itself into our minds, we named Westerman an Artist To Watch. “I Turned Away,” the B-side to “Confirmation,” ranked amongst our favorite songs that same week.
“I Turned Away,” however, was still a B-side — and after something on the level of “Confirmation,” you’re left waiting and wondering what will come next. Today, that wait is over with the release of Westerman’s new single “Edison.” Like “Confirmation” turned a musing on the elusive creative process into a relatable tale of stagnation vs. self-actualization, “Edison” grapples with the concept of ambition in a specific context that still might hit home.
“I was day-dreaming and imagining what it would be like to be inside the head of a megalomaniac,” Westerman said of the song. “I enjoyed playing around with all of the secret neuroses that might reside there, all the unmet needs and fear.” If “Edison” is a character sketch of sorts, it features a couple cutting, amusing descriptions: “I read Baldwin/ Every morning/ At least I pretend to/ Isn’t that the same?” Westerman sings at one point.
“Edison” exists in a similar atmospheric space to “Confirmation.” Westerman bends his voice into unpredictable directions, sounding like a glistening tendril of cigarette smoke hovering over the sheen of the song’s instrumentation and its simple, persistent beat. There’s still no word on whether we’ll hear more Westerman music this year after “Confirmation,” “I Turned Away,” and “Edison,” but he’s working on an album due out next year. For now, enjoy his new single below, and decide for yourself whether it lives up to the promise of “Confirmation.”
“Edison” is out now via Blue Flowers.
