Fred Wickham – “Rock Bottom” (audio) (premiere)

Reminiscent of the rambling of folk and country legends like Dylan and Cash, Fred Wickham‘s “Rock Bottom” is a modern bard’s sardonic tale of twists and turns for the worst. It’s all stapled together by the final utterance of its chorus: “You might think you’ve hit rock bottom, but you’ve got a long way to go.”

Despite its cynic’s worldview, the makeup of the song itself feels decidedly upbeat. Wickham’s world-worn perception of the scene his lyrics are painting is adequately met by maundering, folksy vocals. Otherwise, the instrumentation is jaunty, featuring both brass and organ-produced synth that brings more of a playful, sarcastic overtone to the ongoing events laid out in the song.

Wickham’s Mariosa Delta releases on September 29th.