Chip Away My Heart

Genesis Owusu “Gold Chains”

It’s funny how songs in which young artists sing or rap about dealing with mental illness has become so ubiquitous that what once seemed bold and vulnerable now very often seems mundane and cliché. The bar for this to be interesting is higher now, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Genesis Owusu’s lyrics in “Gold Chains,” both sung in a silky tenor and rapped in a rich lower register, mainly speak to his frustration and strain in trying to maintain a steady and centered state of mind. There’s some good details in his writing but it’s all very literal, which makes sense if you’re just trying to unload or directly communicate to the listener. I see the utility of that but I personally find it a lot easier to connect with abstraction, so for me the most resonant part of this song is the odd skronky bits of lead guitar that cut through the arrangement. It’s a deliberately awkward sound that’s like someone trying to play something as melodic and passionate as something Prince would’ve shredded out effortlessly but almost immediately failing. It’s knowing you have something you need to get out of you, but not actually knowing how to get that cathartic release, or at least not the way you’d want it to be. That metaphor hits me a lot harder than anything Owusu says that I might directly relate to – the latter is something you nod to, the former is more of a gut feeling.

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