Kevin Atwater gets personal in sophomore album, ‘Achilles’
After two years, Kevin Atwater returns with his sophomore album ‘Achilles.’ The indie singer first achieved renown three years ago after going viral on TikTok for his earnest portrayal of longing, heartbreak, and growing up queer. “star tripping,” one of Atwater’s first viral songs on the platform, now sits at 11 million streams on Spotify after amassing over 2 million TikTok views in 2022. Known for his deeply personal lyrics and ethereal guitar riffs, Atwater proves how deserved that reputation is with his second album.
The word I’d use to describe the album upon first listen is elegiac. Nostalgic and mournful, almost every track feels like an elegy from Atwater – whether it be for his lover or himself. He covers both extremes on the spectrum of queer relationships artfully – “threat” details a volatile codependent relationship “And Alexandra made me promise / I'd tell her if you made a threat / But I don't think you knew the difference / When you cradled me and said / No one’s gonna love you / Like I do”, while the titular “Achilles” follows a narrator struggling with their closeted lover “You're scared of what I mean to you / How they'll use it to be mean to you too”; they heel to their partner (pun intended) despite the agony of being loved in secret. Atwater’s lyrics are cutting in their simplicity. His writing shines in its ability to depict the complicated so frankly, and in between his more colloquial lyrics are pockets of stunning verse, a contrast that’s as biting as it is brilliant.
The streak of elegies is broken most obviously by “the cage,” a track that’s more vindictive than it is sorrowful. The inversion of “Once you’re free, then you’re mine” is nothing short of poetic, echoing a predator’s wolfish words into a survivor’s vengeful promise. Atwater plays with that technique a lot in this album – that is, giving statements and relationships a kind of double meaning – showing the volatility one might encounter in queer relationships, closeted or not.
An overarching high point on the album are the dreamlike guitar components; along with Atwater’s intricate storytelling, each song feels like an elaborate memory – in every deliberate detail, Atwater transports the listener. These qualities shine brightest, in my opinion, on “origami flowers”: Atwater’s calculated, even blunt narration feels foreboding, a mood heightened by forlorn guitar riffs. He tells a complete story, start to finish, in two verses, every word meticulously chosen. “ferry beer” is particularly gutting with its one verse, one chorus structure. The song beautifully details love and longing, perhaps to the point of one’s own detriment – a theme also seen on “lonely gift”: “You were there once, you've been gone since / And I woke up holding nothing / You were mine once, or were you gone?
‘Achilles’ is a love letter to heartbreak, coming-of-age, and queer kids everywhere; the album skillfully depicts the plight of growing up different, and the loneliness and anguish that can come with it. You can find it on all streaming platforms, and buy tickets to Kevin’s upcoming tour on his website.
