Arily Michele’s Highway Hypnosis is a raw and honest journey through heartbreak and healing
The Nashville-based singer-songwriter bares her soul on this deeply personal album, chronicling a woman’s escape from a toxic relationship and her subsequent struggle to rebuild her life. Recorded entirely in her home studio, ‘Highway Hypnosis‘ is a DIY masterpiece that captures the intimacy and vulnerability of Michele’s songwriting.
The album unfolds like a cinematic experience, with each track painting a vivid picture of the protagonist’s emotional landscape. From the desolate loneliness of the open road to the intoxicating allure of a new beginning, ‘Highway Hypnosis’ is both haunting and hopeful.
Get ready for an even deeper dive into Michele’s world when the second phase of the project drops, featuring a short film and an expanded version of the album.
Highway Hypnosis
Rosemary embarks on the long journey from Florida to Colorado to escape an abusive marriage, quietly packing her car and swiftly driving away under the cover of night to make her getaway. The song is intentionally repetitive to convey the monotony of driving through the rural American southeast and midwest regions – especially at night – with syncopated bass lines, reverberated synths, and rhythmic vocal samples creating a hypnotic effect. The rhythm breaks just before the bridge, conveying her excitement as she approaches her destination.
Finer Things
Rosemary crosses the border from Kansas into Colorado and fantasizes about what life will be like there. Colors become more vibrant and emotions become more intense. In her delirium, she hallucinates that a future lover is sitting in her passenger seat, beckoning her towards the life she desires. The phrase semper ad meliora is sung in the bridge, a Latin phrase meaning “always toward better things.”
Sleepwalking
Rosemary is brought back to reality when she has to work both days and nights in order to cover her expenses and save up for the life she imagined in Finer Things. A 5/8 time signature and oscillating synth layers create an unstable effect while she laments: “I can’t sleep ‘cause I’m sleepwalking.”
Pity Party
Rosemary begins experiencing symptoms of psychosis because of her extreme fatigue. She hallucinates that her abusive husband has somehow found a way to contact her. Over the phone, he promises that he’ll change. He’ll quit drinking, he’ll stop hurting her, he’ll be a better person if she just gives him a chance. But even in this psychotic state, she knows that isn’t true. She firmly states: “uninvite me from your pity party,” then hangs up the phone.
She turns on the TV, then falls asleep, and dreams that he is giving a press conference on the news. He has reported her missing, and is begging for any and all leads to bring her home safely. She is disgusted by his theatrical performance and shouts again, this time at the TV: “uninvite me from your pity party” before destroying it. As the screen shatters, she wakes up abruptly.
Pink Clouds
Rosemary goes to Lookout Mountain to watch the sunrise and clear her head. As the sky opens up in a fiery display of pinks and oranges, she reflects on her past and the ways it still seems to be haunting her. She acknowledges the effects her abusive relationship had on her personality and self esteem, and breathes a sigh of relief with the line: “I’m glad to know me.”
Go Steady
Rosemary goes into a saloon and encounters a handsome, sharply dressed Stranger who looks identical to the man from her vision in Finer Things. He functions as a mirror into herself. They are instantly drawn to each other, but reluctant to share any details about their respective pasts. They take ecstasy together and embark on a whirlwind romance. Rosemary begins to feel anxious, but chalks it up to her toxic past rather than genuine intuition.
In Pieces
Stranger asks Rosemary if she’d like to go on a roadtrip with him. He doesn’t offer any details, but she agrees, feeling spontaneous. They travel throughout the western United States, visiting the region’s most iconic landmarks, but things admittedly feel rushed for Rosemary. After all, she doesn’t know this man very well. She notices some red flags with his substance use, but she quiets her intuition to keep the peace, which results in some latent codependency.
Blackberry Sage
Stranger asks Rosemary if she’d like to visit Europe. Enthusiastically, she shares what she’d like to do and see. So they go to Europe, and while Rosemary is enjoying the scenery, wine, and cuisine, she notices that something about Stranger seems off. She tries convincing him to enjoy himself to no avail.
Père Lachaise
Rosemary and Stranger end up in Paris. Rosemary suspects that something is wrong but is unsure of how to help. When she discovers Stranger has overdosed, it’s too late. She looks through his bag to find an ID to give to authorities, and finds his real name, along with a massive stash of drugs. She begins to piece together the story, and realizes that Stranger’s sketchy behavior was due to the fact that he was trafficking drugs, fleeing from authorities, and trying to keep it hidden from her the whole time.
She scrapes up whatever money she can for a modest funeral and her return to Colorado.
Saint Vrain
Rosemary heads back to Lookout Mountain to once again watch the sunrise and clear her head. She notices that while she feels different, she is still the same person. Meanwhile, everything and everyone around her has changed, and she feels left behind. She realizes that ultimately, a change of scenery isn’t enough to change your life; you have to change yourself first.
