Hey all, Wes here, announcing the new album, Prescription Fiction!
On the surface, Prescription Fiction is a collection of songs that were written over the course of nearly a decade, but when put together, it tells the story of my mental health over that period. “Take a Pill” was completed first, and I remember writing the lyrics down so furiously that it was almost illegible. I’m fairly certain I was manic then, but that period of my life was so emotionally chaotic that I can’t be certain.
“Does It Matter?” and “Alternate Reality” were also written about that time. They’re frustration, anger, and sadness just spewed in all directions and at times incoherent. Those were written before I moved to Jacksonville, at which point I wasn’t doing much with my music. I was working and just trying to keep it together. Things fell apart in 2017 and I was hospitalized. I met Lu, our producer and bassist, when I was trying to get my life together.
The songs that came after are reflections of the past, that episode in particular, and how I was feeling at the time. “Checked Out,” for instance, is me using escapism to escape a lot of the shame I was feeling at the time, and “The Clearing” was written right when I was starting to feel hopeful again. I encourage whoever listens to it to look at it that way.
I’ve tried to be as emotionally honest as I can in hopes that maybe someone listens and realizes that if I can get through it, then maybe they can, too.
Pre-save it here: