Photo Credit: Nikki Cox (@strwbrryhip)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // July 28, 2022
All throughout high school, all Jackson Rau cared about was music. Playing in a punk band, writing original material, and working part time at a recording studio perfectly captures what was important to him in his formative years. Finally ready to unleash his music into the world, Rau has been consistently growing his discography, with the latest addition being his sobering new single, “I WISH I DID.”
On “I WISH I DID,” Jackson Rau reflected,
“‘I WISH I DID’ speaks for the overlooked, the underdogs, the outcasts, and the weirdos. Sonically, it’s a mashup of ‘90s indie, experimental folk, and modern pop music. It’s not for everyone, because I didn’t make it for everyone. You see, for a long time I made music for the wrong reasons. Frankly, I wanted people to like me.”
Compared to Rau’s previous releases, “I WISH I DID” follows a slower tempo with extremely hushed instrumentals, but that’s exactly why we’re drawn to this melancholy ballad. What’s incredibly special about “I WISH I DID” is that it’s a step forward for Rau in his attempt to be authentic and unapologetic in his music. Needless to say, we’re in awe of how flawlessly Rau composed “I WISH I DID” to be all about love, regret, and blame.
“My upcoming EP ‘I’m sorry my body is disappearing’ is what happened when I dug deep, and stopped trying to be inoffensive. Stopped trying to ‘fit’ into mainstream music. ‘I WISH I DID’ is my take on love, regret, and blame. It’s a melancholy arrangement complete with folky guitars, whispering vocals juxtaposed with distorted bass and driving drums. Lyrically, it’s a stark statement on personal responsibility and our predisposition as humans to deal with breakups in self destructive ways.”
The Hidden Hits 