Rostam is taking his time in following up his 2017 album Half-Light, but by periodically dropping beautiful singles like last year’s “Unfold You” he’s keeping us very much interested. He returns today with another gorgeous track and video called “These Kids We Knew”, which, while sounding beautiful and serene, tackles the tough topic of global warming. He says:
“I was thinking of three generations while I was writing this song. There’s a generation of adults who don’t see global warming as their problem because they think they won’t be impacted by it. Then there’s a generation younger than mine, who will certainly have to deal with what is happening. In the song I have a fantasy of the younger generation arresting the adults and putting them on trial in the streets of cities around the world. Those are the ‘sidewalk courts’ that I sing about in the song.“
While “These Kids We Knew” was reportedly “written in a fever-dream state during the second week of March last year while [he] was recovering from Covid-19,” Rostam’s musical touch and eye for detail are on full display here. The idea of kids arresting adults for their crimes against the world seems cute, but there’s a serious message behind it. Rostam doesn’t hammer it home though, allowing “These Kids We Knew” to glide on acoustic guitar as he plaintively sings, letting the words and melody to drift over you. Gently, the message to sinks in, and when he announces “we’re gonna slowly pull the earth back together,” the feeling is one of ‘yes! we can do this!’
Watch the video for “These Kids We Knew” below or listen to it on streaming platforms.
