#BUFFACOLD: T1ANA.W EXPLORES ANXIETY & OVERTHINKING ON "afterTHOUGHTS"
Written by Falisha Oser
Buffalo-based hip-hop artist t1ana.W recently dropped his album afterThoughts and for all my anxious readers and listeners: you might as well go ahead and add every song off the album to your playlist now. I’ll wait.
“The album resembles a therapy session, except it’s with me. I’m just talking to myself the entire time trying to figure out where my brain goes,” t1ana.W explained. “In the beginning of the album the songs are really light and then as it goes on, the songs go deeper.”
T1ana.W performing at Sugar City in 2020
The intro starts off the album with a warped voiceover representing t1ana.W’s conscience in a therapist role. You may remember Tyler, the Creator did something similar in the first song on his album Goblin. As if he is in a counseling session with himself, the album represents t1ana.W’s inner dialogue with his anxiety.
“That’s exactly what I was trying to get at. That one voice in the back of your head that’s always trying to help you,” said t1ana.W. “The entire album is surrounded by the fact that I deal with anxiety and I have really bad over-thinking issues, which is where the name for the album came from. For me, overthinking is like a snowball effect. I have one thought and then I think ‘What about this? What about that?’ And so on and so on.”
The album starts off light, with dry humor and smooth, R&B/down-tempo sounds. The album’s second track, “Legend,” brings a positive, upbeat sound and a chorus worthy of blasting in your car on your way to work. The song’s message is contagious and empowers listeners to stop caring about what other people think and let yourself shine through. Each song takes you deeper into the relatable rabbit hole of anxiety, overthinking, internal conflict, and coping.
“That’s what the entire album focuses on: anxiety and over-thinking and just putting everything into perspective. I’m not good with words sometimes, so making music has been a way to get it out,” t1ana.W added. “I know a lot of people struggle with anxiety – especially in the music industry. It’s hard not to. You’re always worried about what people are going to say, what somebody is going to do with your music, how many plays it’s going to get. So, I was like ‘Fuck it. We’re writing about it.’”
“Hvn” follows as the third track off the album, bringing relaxed vibes contrasted with introspection and internal conflict as symbolized through the lyrics, “I don’t need a savior, who gon’ save me?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82LRsS66D94
T1ana.W performs "Breave."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This transition from superficial topics to more introspective in-depth subject matter is evident starting with the 6th track in the album, “Breave.” In this song, t1ana.W confronts his anxiety – and perhaps the anxious voice in us all: “Don’t worry about the TV screens and those scenes/Gotta follow heart and dreams by any means/Do you wanna see your dreams get away from you and go? /Cherish every second that you here right now.”
My personal favorite off the album, “Professional Overthinker,” gives me chills every time I listen to it: “I used to put my worth in what everybody said/I think that’s why it hurts when I know it’s in my head.”
FOLLOW T1ANA.W on ALL SOCIALS!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/t1ana.w?utm_medium=copy_link
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCn5C7zDGyHNhy-2E8C1Edvw
Check out T1ANA.W on the #BUFFACOLD Playlists!