Why I Couldn’t Find the Right Time to Play Borrowed Time by Bomethius
I’m struggling to find the hook, the angle, the reason to push this album into your life and convince you to listen to it. I’ve literally put off writing this article for months because of this issue.
If you’re unfamiliar with Bomethius, it is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jonathan Hodges. At times, I think it’s an alter ego, a playful outlet for an introvert with the usual quirks of someone who was homeschooled. Other times, I grow concerned that what I’m hearing is no longer playful but rather the inner demons of Jonathan, disguised as a simple artistic outlet.
Full disclosure: I’ve not only had Jonathan on my podcast before, but I’ve also had the pleasure of working with him on other projects. I consider him a friend and a very talented artist.
That being said, his seventh LP, Borrowed Time, is a rather interesting listen. It has all the makings of a great album but leaves me with an uncomfortable pit in my stomach. At random times on random days, I find myself thinking about some of the songs and the album as a whole, wondering: when is the perfect time to play this album?
Is it the one you play when you’re driving to or from work? On the weekends while tidying up around the house? Maybe while you have your headphones on, milling about the grocery store, filling up the shopping cart? What about during a long jog on a treadmill at the gym?
I’ve listened to it in all of these scenarios and still found myself wondering why it didn’t quite fit any of them.
As always, the music is well-written, the instruments beautifully performed and recorded, and Jonathan’s trademark vocals carry me through the record with a range of dynamics that captivate the listener.
Yet as I listen, I keep coming back to the same thought: This is an objectively good album that is not striking me in any particular way.
After months of attempting to write but failing to put my thoughts into words, I received a text from Jonathan asking how the review was going. I told him essentially the same thing I’ve just written here, though in more polite terms. In response, he directed me to his Bandcamp page, where he had written a long description of the album and its songs.
The second paragraph of his description reads: “Picking up where his previous release, Awful, Pompous, & Artificial (2022), left off, Borrowed Time highlights Hodges’ increasingly formidable songwriting prowess as it traces the strange, ambivalent aftermath of triumphing over a crisis of rejection and estrangement.”
Jonathan and his sister Caroline have endured years of shared trauma and family turmoil, some of which escalated to levels that are almost unthinkable. The kind of emotional devastation that would shatter most of us. I don’t know many details, but what he has shared is heartbreaking.
As I read through his words, I finally understood what was happening to me when I listened to this album.
Quite simply, it’s not an album that is meant for me.
I’m currently in a wonderful phase of my life. I come home every day to a loving family, a dog that greets me at the door with a wagging tail, and a social group that is fun and supportive. Relatively speaking, I have nothing to complain about.
Borrowed Time is for the listener who isn’t experiencing this.
Jonathan is processing some of the worst moments in his life. However, It’s not just an album of rage and anger, rather, it’s the story of Jonathan confronting the past and putting it behind him so he can move forward in the present and into the future.
It feels strange to say, but I’m thankful that this album doesn’t speak to me on a deeper level. I’m grateful that I don’t resonate with its themes and that I can’t relate. It reminds me that I am fortunate.
That being said, there is a world full of people who have, unfortunately, endured terrible experiences with those they loved or thought they loved.
This album is for them. For those who are struggling in whatever way life has thrown at them. For those who need help breaking down emotionally in order to rebuild with resilience and perseverance.
If you are one of those people now, or if you’ve already completed a similar journey, you need to give this album a listen. It could very well be the most important one you’ll ever hear.
Even if Borrowed Time isn’t meant for me right now, I can recognize its place in the larger musical landscape. It’s a powerful reminder that music isn’t always meant to be comfortable or easy, sometimes, it’s meant to heal.
The album is streaming everywhere however, I highly recommend purchasing the vinyl from Oakley Avenue Records.
Travis Wright is the host of the “I’m a fan of…” podcast. If you enjoy music and comedy, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and check out the You Tube Channel. Thanks!
