The Ah Announces Sophomore Album, Shares Dreamy Single “Watermelon Tears”

Drummer Jeremy Gustin has often found solace in collaboration. Whether it be working with David Byrne, The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. or R&B singer Kimbra, Gustin brings an unorthodox creative prowess to the music he crafts with others. At the same time, the artist has assembled his share of solo material with his enigmatic 2017 debut as The Ah, Common Bliss. Today (Dec. 16), Gustin has announced his sophomore LP, Mere Husk on NNA Tapes, sharing the album’s lead single “Watermelon Tears.”

“Watermelon Tears” follows the musically adventurous framework Gustin set in his last release, laying down a blissful repetition highlighted by a chorus of vocal samples. The toy-synth melody that opens up the song creates an overall feeling of childhood nostalgia that continues to resonate as the song opens into a wonderful drum pad beat incorporating a bevy of synthetic sounds.

The first half of the track sets the tone before a strange array of samples are released across the melody—people in hysterical states of laughter. From men, women, babies and maybe an Elmo, the song throws laugh after laugh between our ears. It’s as joyous as it is unsettling. Without any vocals, these assorted laughs are the only thing tethering “Watermelon Tears” to humanity, displaying the happy energy of life in the midst of synthetic instrumentation.

Gustin, in his own words, explains how he arrived at his decision to accent the song with laughter and the inspiration behind its title:

I knew I wanted to add sounds or samples in the middle section and I experimented a lot with no luck. Ironically, as the song’s title has tears in it, laughter seemed the best fit for the track. But having one person laugh wasn’t quite right so I started experimenting by adding baby’s, old people, and even some animals laughing. Somehow that seemed to work. Perhaps watermelon tears are the kind of tears you get when you laugh really hard. Sweet tears.