In a world so impatiently rushing forward, both in technological advancements and general pacing of life, it can be hard to find time to let our heart rate relax to its natural baseline. I feel I’m always rushing – trying to balance work, personal projects, relaxation, and sleep. Even relaxing seems forced sometimes – I’ve only got ten minutes, I need to chill out right now! This state of constant adrenaline surely isn’t healthy, but for many of us, it’s normal and everyday. Which is why ambient duo Home Learning’s new song “here, outside, waiting” is so refreshing.
The first single from their upcoming album the case for final, “here, outside, waiting” is not a song to ‘just quickly’ listen to. Take your time and allow yourself to soak in it; let it be what it wants to be. Let it wake you up slowly on a Sunday morning, the light filtering through your curtains and drawing mandalas under your eyelids, in that idle state between consciousness and sleep. Let it be the soundtrack to watching clouds morph in and out of recognisable shapes, shifting with such subtlety that you don’t even realise it. Don’t expect anything from this song – just let it give you what it has.
The video lacks focus – quite literally – in the same way the music does. It just breathes, flows, never really changing, but also never quite the same as it was a moment ago. The ideas and images repeat like a mantra, evolving with subtlety and grace. The pairing of the video’s hazy images and the song’s gentle guitar and synth layers reflect each other, and it seems like either one could have come first; a chicken-and-egg situation.
the case for final will be released on December 11 through Healing Sound Propagandist and feature eight songs, with a focus on connecting overlapping ambient passages into cohesive tracks that ebb and flow with their own lunar tide. Keep an eye on Home Learning’s Bandcamp account to make sure you don’t miss it when it drops.
