Written in peak wedding season, the upbeat new track from the NYC singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is an anthem for anyone not-so-secretly wishing to graduate from the singles table
———————————————————————————————
No matter your take on the institution of marriage itself, weddings are undeniably romantic affairs.
As those of us who didn’t meet our soulmate circa seventh grade can attest, finding someone you dig who also digs you (at the same time, preferably in the same place) is… difficult. And that’s just swipe—er, step—one. Mutually agreeing that a relationship is worth going all-in on—believing that this awe and adoration, this acceptance of flaws and eccentricities, this rare and right and particularly pure love will persist for all eternity—well, damn. That’s very sweet. And just the right kind of crazy.
Romance aside, as the official commemoration of this elusive love via the ultimate vow, weddings naturally inspire a lot of emotions in their attendees—especially the uncoupled ones. Those of us who are chasing tequila shots with buttercream frosting at our assigned seat at the singles table (then skipping the slow dance in favor of teaching everyone’s aunts how to Wobble) reckon with a complicated combination of feelings during these events. Some hope, vicarious happiness, maybe a little jealousy, some wistfulness and wanting. All thrown together and mixed up in that $300 blender we definitely didn’t get them from Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Fresh off a full wedding season, it’s this specific experience—sincerely toasting two people as they til-death-do-they-part it while simultaneously experiencing a particular sense of longing… and maybe a little bit of loneliness—that NYC singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Wise explores in his newest song.
“Someone Looking Out” is out now.
You can’t be who you’re not / Can’t rewire all your thoughts / I want a partner to my crazy / Who wants all the good, bad and ugly
“‘Someone Looking Out’ is a song about wanting to have someone with you when you’re out at a party or at some other social function,” Peter shared of the track over email. “I wrote this song after a busy summer of performing at and attending friends’ weddings. I feel like it captures that emotion of celebrating someone else but wishing you could have what that person has, something I’m sure we’ve all experienced if we’ve gone to a wedding solo.”
While it would be easy for any (presumably single) artist to lean hard into loneliness with a woe-is-me angle and write an anthem to appease the inner emo lurking under each of our evening-wear—or, on the flip side, to opt for catharsis and take the mulleted Adam Sandler approach by throwing a musical tantrum a la “Love Stinks”— Peter has instead opted for the high road and a high note with an upbeat, undeniably catchy song that wouldn’t be out of place on an actual wedding DJ’s rotation. It’s not so much a product tainted by envy but inspired by admiration. A result of seeing the beauty in a relationship and wanting the same. It’s a declaration of desire and an act of musical manifestation.
There’s also, of course, a sense of something that many of us can relate to: impatience… of being ready, and feeling restless.
And that brings us to the tricky part. Because it’s not just love we’re celebrating at these occasions. It’s luck. You can’t force it. For better or for worse, fate plays a significant role; good fortune has to find you. And in this particular life lottery, the equivalent of a $50 scratch-off win (that would be a fling) is thrilling but not always fulfilling; what we’re all really looking for is that rare, life-changing, Powerball kind of love. Odds are tough, but millions of people play every day—and at every wedding, we get to pay witness to the winners.
So we RSVP yes and raise our glasses and light sparklers while grappling with that why not me? type of wondering… we whoop, cry, kiss friends’ faces and eat steamed asparagus next to someone’s second cousin while doing that when me? type of wishing. We celebrate, and we wait. And in the meantime, we grab another drink, hit the dance floor and Cha Cha Slide like a true goddamn champion.
“Someone Looking Out” follows “Only Gotta Start” as the newest single from Peter’s forthcoming self-produced 13-track album. Peter’s hitting the UK and Boston later this month and you can catch him liiiive at The Bowery Electric on September 27th! Info here.
———————————————————————————————
Follow Peter Wise at @peterwisemusic, buy music on Bandcamp and add the songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the artist