"High on Humans" by Oh Wonder, Thursday, July 1, 2021

Oh Wonder is a British pop duo consisting of a dating couple Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht. The group released their first album as a series of singles each month for a year. The album sold over a million copies, being certified gold in the UK and Canada and platinum in Russia and the Philippines. The band grew popularity in the U.S. as well, performing on Conan. The band's second record was released in 2017 and feature's today's song "High on Humans." Like most of their songs, Oh Wonder's musical style consists of minimal instrumentation--piano, occasional guitars, drums, and synths--and the two singers singing in unison. Josephine's vocals are often prominent, as on this song, with Anthony's vocals being quieter in the mix. 

SITTING IN THE NEXT SEAT, DEAD HEAT SUMMER. What was the first lesson you learn before going to school? It might have been about not talking to strangers. Parents try very hard to instill fear of predators into their children, and it mostly works. Sure, there's tons and tons of news articles and documentaries about child abductions, dating site killers, and crazy people who commit acts of terrorism, but for the most part societies have learned to avoid this by yelling "stranger danger" and running away. However, today's song takes another approach. On the band's Instagram, Josephine posted a video about how she was inspired to write "High on Humans." She explains two back-to-back interactions she had when talking to strangers coming back from a trip abroad. The first was some passionate small talk about hot sauce and the second was with a drunk man who lost his teeth. Josephine believes that it's important to talk to strangers, and this shared humanity can make us feel a high. 

WE'RE MAKING WAVES OF CONVERSATION. "High on Humans" is a refreshingly optimistic song, particularly when most media tells us to guard ourselves from others. In many situations, talking to strangers isn't dangerous. But in places like London, Seoul, and New York, it can be strange and uncomfortable. However, it's pretty common in small towns. I remember when my family moved down south, drivers would often wave to each other on the road, and these drivers didn't even know each other. At some point we have to put our hopes in strangers. We get a new job, start a new school, join a new club, and we're thrust into a new scene with different faces. If you find yourself traveling alone, you may have some interesting conversations with strangers if you're open to it. In a year that I've had some of the fewest random human interactions in my life, this song makes me miss those times when you have to greet a stranger. It makes me miss those times when you randomly click with someone over some shared instance of humanity.

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/oh-wonder/high-on-humans