Solange — When I Get Home
Five years ago, Solange changed how I listened to music. I listened to When I Get Home moments after its release. My apartment with my then-girlfriend was a disordered mess, with packed U-Haul boxes constantly reminding me of our future apart. I struggled with grasping that reality, unsure how to fill those pieces that were now gone.
It didn’t take long for Solange to grasp my attention. “Saw Things I Imagined” brings us into an endless loop, with Solange repeating the song’s title for nearly a minute. Unknown to the listener, Solange sets the tone with intention and a mind-frame that dictates the rest of the album.
When I Get Home isn’t anchored by a central theme but a philosophy. Its musical layering and range leave nothing undone. Its flurry of sounds makes each track feel limitless and finds Solange unafraid of exploring the gray areas between R&B, techno, rock, and ambient.
When I Get Home masterfully balances the ability to feel hyper-focused and yet whimsical. “Way to the Show” embodies this fascinating and somehow beautiful conflict. The beginning feels lush, like a slow joy ride that never goes too fast but never slow enough to lack energy. As the song concludes, Solange adds a spark of percussion loops and synthesizers that are chaotic and yet soothing. Such randomness would traditionally signal a lack of direction, but for Solange, it is the catalyst that makes When I Get Home shine.
Solange functions as the narrator, but her storytelling never feels linear. Each track feels like a random recollection of her most intimate thoughts, sharing them as they come to her. Despite the lack of thematic fluidity between songs, Solange is the glue that holds everything together. The range of sounds never finds Solange without command, with the instrumentals flowing flawlessly at her every word. Towards the end of tracks like “Jerrod” and “Benz”, the power dynamic is suddenly flipped — with Solange completing the instrumentals. Routinely, the instrumentals allow us the time to rest in the often vague concepts Solange presents to the listener.
These brief moments are where Solange encourages us to embrace When I Get Home’s experimental nature and create our own meaning. The album helped me find comfort in my rapidly changing life. Every day, with the hope of relenting to the new experiences that came in abundance. Solange showed me how free-flowing music could be, and yet anchored in purpose and direction.
When I Get Home allowed me to see how musical arrangements elevate storytelling. Solange helped me tend to the pieces of me that needed nurturing and build the pieces of myself that I had neglected. When I Get Home helped me see the freedom behind the unfamiliar and how there can be an intention to mindfulness.
Solange was everything I needed — specific and unknown.
