We’ve previewed W. Y. Huang‘s debut full-length On Stranger Hills with a couple of singles in recent months. First came ‘Born to Lose‘, a song with “a lo-fi sound which owes a debut to both Daniel Johnston and Adrienne Lenker” as we put it, which draws on Huang’s own immigrant experience to explore, as per the album notes, “the loneliness and anxiety of what it means to be invisible in a foreign land, tracing the edges of belonging, where memory and place begin to blur.” Then ‘Running Into Walls‘ followed, “an introspective indie folk song […] set during a late-night train ride,” as we wrote, capturing “the sense of solitude and emotional clarity that such journeys often evoke, mimicking the brain’s tendency to ruminate as the carriage falls silent and dark landscapes fly past the window.”
With On Stranger Hills set for release in November, W. Y. Huang has now returned with brand new single ‘Afraid To Go Outside’. Again painted with a tender, introspective hue, the song evokes loneliness and social anxiety with a suitably hesitant sound. “I’m afraid to go outside / stayed in too long / now the sunlight hurts my eyes,” Huang sings in the opening lines, “don’t know if I’m strong enough.” Yet through this hushed uncertainty emerges a suggestion of intimacy, and thus in turn a delicate sense of connection. As though in voicing fears of isolation and despondency with such honesty, W. Y. Huang transcends his own experience and opens the line to communicate with others who find themselves in the same position.
On Stranger Hills will be released on the 4th November. ‘Afraid To Go Outside’ is available from the usual places.