Caedmon Herod – Wide Awake (Album Review)

‘Wide awake’ stands as an incredible and thought-provoking debut album. Recorded entirely with the microphone of his iPhone, Herod emphasises his musical talent and evident potential through his practice of multiple instruments and an impressive vocal range throughout his songs. The album consists of ten tracks of varying lengths, with each one housing a diversified collection of genres and musical styles 

Track one, titled ‘Love’, opens the album with a satisfyingly repetitive riff that lays comfortably somewhere between folk and country, before being quickly accompanied by Herod’s first set of vocals. The tempo of his lyricism is almost sea-shanty-esque as he expresses the first inkling of yearning that becomes a common motif throughout the album. Herod states that “If I could wake up to you to have only been a dream, then I’d fall asleep and never dream to wake.” A beautifully poetic start to an emotionally rich piece of work.  

‘Anger’ is the second track of the album and marks a swift change stylistically. The track is solely instrumental, beginning with a gentle strumming of the same chord; the velocity in which it is played, however, builds excitingly into a much more aggressive riff. The track becomes louder and grungier until the second minute, where the original strumming of one simple chord resumes, before once again building into a truly ‘angry’ riff that threatens to claw its way from the speakers. It is an intriguing piece of music that thoroughly portrays what is stated in its title.  

‘Anger’ is followed by ‘carry on,’ which once again showcases a surprising change in style. ‘Carry on’ is reminiscent of Radiohead’s earlier work, perhaps delivering to Herod the musical inspiration for this track. The guitar resumes moodily, though on this track, the buzz off the strings adds a rawness that pairs exquisitely with the desperate tone in Herod’s voice, which groans over the music for you to “carry on.” Around minute two, the song picks up into a fuller rendition of its first half, before repeating the chorus. 

 ‘You’ is the next song on the album. There is a comfortably honest feeling to this song, and is also the first track to introduce a more musically intricate layering system. A gentle pattern of mellow keyboard notes lay beneath the body of the song. The lyrics on this track sound almost painful for Herod to sing. Beneath his Instagram post (@cherod_music) dedicated to ‘You,’ Herod clarifies that the song is about “avoiding the idea that God is only there for us when we need an escape from our problems.” 

‘Blind’ marks the following track. Another dramatic change from Herod takes place, as this track is a rich piece of musical poetry. ‘Blind’ holds just one verse, and is musically consisted of just the keyboard, accompanied by the sound of rain, which becomes the focal point of the track through Herod’s words. One could assume from the previous theme of religion that this song, too, is about God. Herod states that “You struck me like lightening, leaving me blind; and the thunder the chaos you left behind.” A metaphor perhaps to the power held by God, and the ways in which he has affected Herod’s own life. Lyrically, the rain intensifies into a hail, yet Herod’s words remain positive as he reminds himself that “it’s alright,” wielding protection from his “hardhat”. It can be noted that this, too, could be interpreted from a religious point of view. Perhaps Herod intended for both the weather, and his means of protection from it, to represent God and his ever presence in Herod’s life. The stark difference of this track stylistically from the rest of the album is truly unique. 

‘Hold you tight’ follows. Standing at almost seven minutes, this is the longest track on the album. This song brings back the theme of yearning, which can be found laced gently throughout almost every lyric. The song starts softly, with a kind piano riff, and houses lyrics to match, such as; “If I could hold you tight, I’d never let you go” and “The only sweet thing that I know.” It is here that the idea of this album telling one continuous story becomes evident. Suddenly, the songs gradual incorporation of new instruments, louder vocals and more intricate layers seems intentional from a storytelling perspective. At halfway through the album, this track certainly feels like the height of a story that Herod is telling about religion, forgiveness, and love. The song continues to introduce the signature acoustic from the earlier songs of the album in time for a stormy and exciting bridge, before the vibe changes once again at 3:10, where a new jazzy theme is brought front and centre. “Hold you tight” is once again a heavily instrumental track that changes again at minute 5 with layered riffs that are both playful, and almost stressful, evoking a similar visceral feeling that the rough and raw harmonising implemented earlier in the song.  

This impressive vocal range is also carried over to ‘Karma,’ which also reintroduces the gentle fingerpicking of the guitar that was rife in the earlier tracks of the album. ‘Karma’ is a stormy piece of music and holds a classic Midwest indie sound that is often only present in an artist’s earlier work. A lyric that stands out curiously, too, is “You’re the colour in my skies.” Here, cleverly, Herod alludes to previous songs on the album, for example ‘Blind’ and ‘Carry on’ in which the sky becomes a thematic point of interest. The recurring mention of the sky highlights once more the importance of God to the production of this album, and how Herod takes him for musical inspiration.  

The penultimate track ‘Liar,’ is also the shortest. At just 59 seconds long, this song feels like Herod is ‘accepting’ the difficult parts of the story he has been telling. The gentle strumming of the guitar once again becomes the only music behind Herod’s vocals. ‘Liar’ feels like a story ending and bleeds perfectly into the final track of ‘Wide Awake,’ ‘Rest’. 

‘Rest’ opens with a simple and repetitive riff of guitar, again accompanied by the honest buzz of strings that are played with genuine sincerity. The tone of the song is apologetic and regretful, and only improves as it goes on. At 1:50, seamless playing of the keyboard blends its way onto the track, intertwining perfectly with the depth of the guitar. The sound of the plectrum against the strings can be picked up, but only adds further character to the beauty of the music. The song builds in pace as Herod’s vocals grow passionate and desperate before ending with one final, rapid riff that abruptly concludes the album.  

SCORE/Excellent: Wide Awake is a strikingly intimate and emotionally resonant debut that boldly showcases Herod’s raw talent and musical versatility. From its humble iPhone production to the layered storytelling woven through each track, the album seems to capture a deeply personal and human journey. With a fearless blend of genres and a vocal performance that ranges from fragile to fierce, Herod creates a unique and cohesive listening experience that lingers long after the final note. 

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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