Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 3 Issue 1

and low tones giving us his idiosyncratic style at
its finest. As the song progresses, it speeds up,
then begins to transition at 2:59 displaying unique
expressions. In the music video for this song,
Brent is recorded with a fan who is elated to be
in his presence, he didn’t treat the fan indifferent
but it’s clear he isn’t impressed. The main chorus
of the first 2 minutes 59 seconds of the song is
“(The fame) I swear it isn’t everything,” “(People
screaming your name) I swear it isn’t everything.”
These lyrics convey that just because Faiyaz has
reached a certain stature in the name of fame, he
is still human, fame doesn’t make you any more or
less important than the average person.
Track 13 - DEAD MAN WALKING
Although DEAD MAN WALKING was released as a
single two years prior to the drop of WASTELAND,
it is listed as the thirteenth track lasting at
four minutes and seven seconds. This song
communicates the idea of the intro, VILLAIN’S
THEME. The chorus symbolizes putting yourself
first, stating, “You can do what you wanna, live
how you wanna, spend how you wanna, be who you
wanna be.” These lyrics align with the “temporary
euphoria” implication of VILLAIN’S THEME.
Track 19 - ANGEL
WASTELAND ends with the 19th track, ANGEL.
This song gives a captivating love ballad about
the relationship between the flawed artist and
his lover. In this song he looks to his girlfriend
to never leave his side, despite what he has done
to her negatively while deeming her an angel in
disguise. He feels as if he would be lost without
her and her support, he looks to her as an escape
from the dysfunctional world he feels like he has
created for himself.
The skits of this album truly tie the moral of this
album in and its cinematic theme. In skit one,
EGOMANIAC, lasting at only 1 minute and 22
seconds, Faiyaz is playing the character “Chris.”
Chris is having a conversation with his pregnant
girlfriend who feels like he is not supporting her
in any way. She feels alone and like he doesn’t care
about her as he is giving his attention to other
things and people. Moreover, skit two, OBLIVION
really gives us insight into how his girlfriend is
feeling. In skit two “Chris” seems to be enjoying
a short intimate time with a female friend. How
do these poor actions play out in the end? Finally
in skit three, WAKE UP CALL, we get a full intake
of the consequences of Chris’ actions. This
skit may be a trigger warning as it tells what the
ending of the lovers’ story could be. Chris’ girlfriend
is fed up with his careless actions, as she
states, “You’re the worst thing that ever happened
to me.” During their phone call, she states that
Chris “will never see her or the baby again.” As
Chris tries to make his way to save his girlfriend
and unborn child, he crashes, leaving us feeling
the sorrow of their demise.
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