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In ‘808 HYMN’ she continues to astound her fans with her lyricism and layered instrumentals that portray the exact emotional turbulence that she sings about.
The song came from the idea that women get followed home, and how once you start to grow up, you lose your innocent thinking as you start to realise this. The first verse conveys this perfectly, “When I was a kid, I used to think / The moon was following me home…Now I’m grown, I’ve come to know / Every girl’s out here on her own”. It contrasts how pure of mind children are, with how deadly the real world can be, and that things that you used to see as magical are actually the complete opposite. She even comments on victim-blaming culture with the line “So I do what I want, I wear those clothes”, because this factor has nothing to do with women’s safety. With a fanbase built up of young girls, this is a powerful message for Erin to be putting across.
Like most of Erin’s songs, their meanings cut deep, but they sound beautifully put together. She carefully curates her music, and this time the aim was to instil panic and fear. The constant repeated pattern made by synths drives the urgency and intensity of the track throughout, joined by a baseline that sounds like a helicopter; the instrumental alone will put you on edge - but it doesn’t stop there. Mixed in are snippets of her breathing heavily, sounds of heart defibrillators, and, of course, 808s. It’s designed to make you feel like you’re running for your life, and with the line “It's an 808 heartbeat, it’s a funeral hymn”, you feel both alive and dead simultaneously.
The track pleads and begs for safety, as Erin wails in between verses and the synths build. The chorus talks about the lengths people have to go through just to get home,“Grit your teeth, make a scene, put your keys between fists”, on the chance that something might happen. Along with the anxiety that you might not even make it, “It’s praying you can make it for just five more minutes…”I promise I’ll believe, if you could just get me home””, highlighting how real this situation is, and how desperation takes over.
Overall, it's a relatable track for many, it releases the anger behind having to be so aware and conscious, whilst also creating a sense of solidarity for those who have lived through these experiences.
Emma Turner
Image: Furmaan Ahmed
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