“We could bury every hatchet, but we can’t bury the past.”
Just five days after the release of his fifth studio album, 9 Lives, Koe Wetzel is keeping the strong momentum he’s built over the past few months with another music video release for none other than “Hatchet.” The ninth track of the album joins the likes of “High Road,” “Damn Near Normal” and the XXXTENTACION cover, “Depression & Obsession,” which all got their own music video.
Yesterday, Wetzel took to Instagram to announce the music video’s release. In the caption, he said, “This one really means a lot to me…”
Written by 9 Lives’ producer, Gabe Simon, and Grammy-nominee, Mick Coogan, “Hatchet” is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the “Drunk Driving” singer’s new album. In typical Wetzel fashion, he laments a broken relationship. Unlike many of his older tracks dealing with heartbreak, “Hatchet” feels a lot more vulnerable and contemplative. There’s a tangible amount of hesitation throughout the song. This comes to a peak in the final line of the chorus when Wetzel sings, “We could bury every hatchet, but we can’t bury the past.”
The music video beautifully visualizes this sentiment. Using plenty of sun-soaked wide shots of the central couple embracing on a beach as flashbacks, the video juxtaposes these shots with both Wetzel and the couple looking contemplative in cooly-lit rooms. The visual contrast between the warm beach and the cool, empty rooms serves as a great parallel that ultimately mirrors the past and the present.
Along with the new album and music video, Wetzel is about to embark on his Damn Near Normal tour with Treaty Oak Revival, Kolby Cooper and more starting this Saturday. Upcoming tour dates include the following:
- July 27 The Woodlands, Texas || Cynthia Woods Pavilion
- Aug. 7 Missoula, Mont. || Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheater
- Aug. 8 Nampa, Idaho || Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
- Aug. 9 Sandy, Utah || Sandy Amphitheater
- Aug. 10 Las Vegas, Nev. || The Theater at Virgin Hotel Hotels Las Vegas
- Aug. 15 Minneapolis, Minn. || The Armory
- Aug. 16 Council Bluffs, Iowa || Stir Cove (Harrah’s Casino)
- Aug. 21 Cleveland, Ohio || Jacobs Pavilion
- Aug. 22 Columbus, Ohio || KEMBA Live Outdoor
- Aug. 23 Pittsburgh, Pa. || Stage AE
- Aug. 24 Washington, D.C. || The Anthem
Watch here: