JOBIE's mystical journey to the "bottom of the sea"
Graphic by Cate Banks
By Karenna Umscheid
Josie Arthur (she/they), known professionally as JOBIE, appears partially submerged in a drenched wedding dress in the cover art of her latest single, “bottom of the sea.” The photo perfectly accompanies her enchanting hymn of a song.
JOBIE’s angelic voice carries the melody through each location, as the otherworldly nature of the lyricism stretches from the sea to beneath the earth, when they sing “they say there is a hole at the bottom of the sea/and it’s as dark and deep and cold/as the one that lives inside of me.”
The second verse begins with “If I lived under the earth and I was lost beneath the sea, would you be the first to search or be the one to bury me?” The metaphorical lyricism illustrates the pain of watching her love pang throughout a seemingly-empty planet, her voice combined with her signature acoustic guitar powerfully echoing through each biosphere with longing.
The song chronicles JOBIE’s self-exploration as it intersects with the journey of another. Like a siren plunged in the depths of the ocean, they call out “Will you wait for me?/I want you to, I want you to, I would wait for you.” This verse describes a love that she hopes to keep, through physical and emotional separation, with waves of salt water sluicing over, washing out a bleeding romance JOBIE strives to echolocate through.
Their voice nearly makes a plea with the lyric “And I could scratch my skin until I bleed/wondering if I was the best that I could be.” It sounds as though her heart is bursting out of her chest, belting the lyric alongside a crescendo in their guitar strumming. The pain of their longing sticks to your skin like sand long after a day at the beach; JOBIE is phenomenally relatable and wholeheartedly honest.
The line “But you don’t want me like I want you” hurts like a fresh wound plunged into ocean water, like the bones of a one-sided love dissolving under lime. This melancholy lyric in particular echoes the popular sad girls of the moment, representing the broken heartbeat that pounds throughout the demographic of Taylor Swift ticket hopefuls, hopeless romantics and daydreamers, or otherwise sad girl music enthusiasts; this demographic includes myself.
The production of “bottom of the sea” serves the magic of the single with soft guitar strumming, laced with woodwind and percussion, powering the water beneath her voice to allow the lyrics to crash on the shore. JOBIE’s consistently heartfelt and poignant lyricism in “bottom of the sea” is consistently honest, beautiful, and dramatic (in the best way), meeting enthralling lyrical storytelling with perfect sonic harmony.
“bottom of the sea” is available to stream everywhere.