After driving to a cabin in the woods a year ago, The Wldlfe set out to create an album. That album, Heaven is a place, 2024, investigates what it means to love and navigate the world as a band continuing to grow in the music industry. The Wldlfe, consisting of Jansen Hogan, Carson Hogan, and Jack Crane, launched themselves into the public sphere with their first EP in 2016 and have since been writing, releasing, and touring their music. The 13 songs on the album tell a story about finding and building genuine connections. Each song dives deeper into what it means to know someone.
In an unexpected twist, the album starts with a slower piano ballad song. Despite a slow start, “If I Became Friends With The Aliens” does a brilliant job of introducing the album and the never-ending search for a real relationship in a time when materialism and superficiality get in the way. This introspective song introduces the intense desire for something greater than what they’ve had before. After a startling and somewhat humorous revelation of the difficulty in connecting with other humans, the rest of the album continues to weave together a story of humanity and love.
“Simple Math” and “Dizzy" start to explore a new connection that forms into love. “Simple Math” utilizes math metaphors to help express the deep love and affection apparent in the track. “Dizzy” continues exploring this relationship. This track takes you on a journey with two people who meet and end up talking all night. It's the beginning of a love story about meeting someone who pieces you back together and brings you back to life. It’s a destabilizing feeling.
Several of the tracks place emphasis on staying together, out of the public eye, and blocking out all societal pressures. Knowing that they’ll fall in love from one weekend together, “Wreck My Life” dives into what that means for them. This upbeat, indie-pop song taps into the fear of falling in love and still wanting it despite the potential of getting their lives ruined.
Even after admitting to this overwhelming fear, "Turtleneck," “Real Estate," and “Here We Go Again” are begging for reciprocated love. They’re expressing the desire to always be there for someone they’re in love with and want to keep them safe. “Here We Go Again” continues the story from “Real Estate." Where “Real Estate” begs someone to stay over for the weekend, “Here We Go Again” explicitly includes the lyrics “I’ve been feeling weak since you stayed over the weekend." As they predicted, one weekend was enough to make them fall in love.
The title track, “Heaven is a Place," changes pace back to a slower song with the piano. They've discovered this relationship is serious. It's the understanding that someone feels like home to them and how they're navigating that. The lyrics, “I hope it’s the first page, not only a moment,” add to the understanding that this is a true connection; one they’ve been searching for.
Switching gears from romantic love, “Write A Song About It” dives into the other type of love exploration from this album, which is the love of writing, creating, and releasing music. The music industry is a beast you only understand when you're in it. Reminiscent of the message in “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles, this track explores how the band feels forced to write songs all the time. There's pressure to compare themselves with others they deem as successful. They open the dialogue for the listener to understand what it takes to write music.
The last two songs on the album, “What If You Change?” and “Growing Up Song," focus on the fear of growing up and growing out of relationships that no longer serve them. “What If You Change?” touches on overthinking and self-sabotaging a relationship because they’ve been burned in the past. Despite desperately trying not to conflate an old and new relationship, the repetition of “what if you change your mind” in the outro brings that anxiety to the forefront and leaves those feelings unresolved until the final song on the album.
With the inevitable concept of change, “Growing Up Song” shines a light on the music industry and the struggles that they’ve faced as a band. It continues the conversation of getting older and watching all their relationships become something new. Closing the album with the lyrics, “Could someone tell me it’s okay to grow up?” leaves you with a wave of nostalgia and brings a sense of comfort that we all grow up and go through hardships.
Heaven is a place, 2024 is centered on connection and love. It’s an album that tells a complete story, and it’s apparent that the band poured their whole heart into creating it. This wouldn't be a complete review without acknowledging the album is produced entirely by band member Carson Hogan. The production value of this album alone is worth a listen, but paired with the lyrics, The Wldlfe opens a world of self-discovery and introspection.
The Wldlfe start their North American tour on September 17 in Columbus, OH. Find local tour dates here. Follow The Wldlfe below for additional details and tour updates.
You can listen to Heaven is a place, 2024 below.
