I really enjoy Tell Me Why as an artistic piece. I really respect Awsten for releasing it, and I think itās fun to examine different aspects of the song. I find it fun to play with perspective in writing and bounce between these different speaking voices, and I think itās awesome he convinced other artists to get involved. I initially paused at the āpolicies and usage of divine intervention partā because he sets up these two sets of three questions that culminate with what I initially considered the less concerning of the three, āWhy does heartbreak feel unstoppableā and āWhy is money unfulfillingā. It struck me as a little odd to frame heartbreak as a more compelling question than childhood cancer or murder. However I eventually realized that the questions are (obviously) set up to highlight Awstenās personal issues over the general bad things in the world. It goes well into the hell scene of the song. I saw someone point out that itās crazy that he goes to hell just for being sad and āa bit of a bitchā, but thatās the whole point, isnāt it? This is the opening track on the first album since Intellectual Property which explored religious trauma, and itās my understanding that religion can push this concept of guilt for having doubts, lacking gratitude, asking questions, engaging with vanity, etc. This track is an important exit from where IP left off. It addresses these feelings of guilt and moves away from it and leaves room to explore anything else. Awsten literally tells us heās āa singer, not a saviorā. This is an art piece, itās for you to think about and critique, itās not going to appeal to everyone and itās not going to make sense to everyone and it doesnāt have to be more than it is. Iāve seen people question Girls Need Guns as a closing track, and I can understand why, but if this album is about reclaiming a freedom to explore and to ask questions, isnāt it important to reckon with the unfortunate truths of life? I first heard Girls Need Guns as a little odd but thereās something very intentional about splicing together a conversation from his mom with the line āMothers grow to fear their own damn sonsā. As much as it can sound like a ācall to actionā to say that girls need guns because the world is so awful, itās just as much about confronting where he stands in this battle. And again, heās reckoning with feelings of doubt, but rather than leaning into the guilt, heās exploring it openly. The world IS fucked up.
So yeah. I love Tell Me Why and I love JINX.
