The Wilderness Narrative

The wilderness. 

I think we’ve all been there. We feel like we are waiting for anything good to come our way. Like we are forever drifting in some state of perpetual wander. Seeking and coming up short. Looking for something, but not quite sure what we are even looking for. 

The truth is, we are all there, in the wilderness, as we wait for a time when all things will be made right again. 

This album delves into the feelings most of us have in the wilderness: stubbornness, bitterness, anxiety, loneliness, emptiness, longing, shame, fear, grief…the list goes on. And I think it’s vital to recognize those feelings as valid. If we live in denial and shove the feelings down deep, there is no release, only a continual torment. 

These songs explore what it’s like to accept those feelings, to get raw and honest about where we are. I’ve been in a desperate wilderness season of sorts. One that shook me to my core and had me asking some tough questions. I found myself especially struggling with anger, shame and bitterness. I couldn’t shake those feelings, no matter how hard I tried to do it on my own. 

As I began writing, I tried to accept my own feelings about what I was going through. I had an epiphany of sorts. My songwriting world just opened up as I began to explore personifying some of these issues, like shame and bitterness. As I dwindled these issues down to their most basic forms, it felt like chains were breaking off. Blinders were being removed, but by a strength greater than my own. Singing out against those lies felt so empowering. 

More songs came out of the woodwork and seemed to piece themselves together. I played with sarcasm and idioms while finding melodies that finally expressed the deep level of angst that seemed to be continually present. At the same time, it felt like I was working harder than ever to write songs that fit within the cohesive concept album. I found myself digging through a lot of personal work as I sought to pull everything together in a way that I felt would make sense. I really wanted to bring the listener with me on a journey that connected to some of our deepest emotions as humans. And I wanted to spread hope. 

The Bitter Wild EP is a curation of songs from the full-length, to-be-released album, Wander the Wild. These songs will be revamped and re-released with the full album, which shows an even greater story arc: warning, tragedy, wandering, struggle, mission, and beauty. The EP follows a mini-arc from the tragedy of bitterness, to lonely wandering in the desert, to grappling with shame and all its manifestations. Then, it points to a Rescue that is coming. 

There is a Rescuer, Jesus, ever pursuing us. Through His pursuit and sacrifice and power, we can have hope. We can have peace. We can release bitterness, fear, shame…all of it. And He is coming back to make all things right again. To bring us back to beauty. To make all the sad things come untrue (J.R.R. Tolkien). 

So excited you’re joining me for this journey. 

See specific stories for each individual track linked below! 

1. Bad Blood (Is Going Around) 

2. Drifter

3. Sage (coming soon!)

4. Here (coming soon!)