Love conquers all and in the case of “Like Home”, even distance. “Like Home”, the new single from country pop duo, Wild Fire, is riveting and romantic. The song warms the heart and it touches the nostalgia heartstrings. The story, like every great country song, triggers an immediate reaction. While their moniker suggests that sisters Kelli and Kayla Iutzwig are unable to be contained, or even unruly, that wasn’t my listening experience. In this case the othly thing that seemed unable to be boxed in were the sisters’ synergy and vocals. That and the unstoppable “Like Home” chorus.
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Like flipping through a mental scrapbook, the memories flood to the forefront. “Like Home” has the sisters singing about a boyfriend that is far away. Co-written with the female duo, Honey County, “Like Home” has a definite female perspective. The idea of young love is very strong – yet, one can’t help but be reminded that even though some of us older listeners might be further apart from our high school years than others, those high memories just don’t fade over time. The good ones stay. “Like Home” brings those and even the smell senses into this song. A cologne smell, for example. I loved the imagery and the way the lyrics sweep you off your feet. Their voices, too, are lovely.
For some reason “Like Home” makes me think of Autumn. It could be because they talk about hometown football games. I just had an overwhelming rush of being in high school and in the stands at the big game. The underlying music, a fine mix of pop and country hued electric guitar, keeps the tempo moving forward. I wouldn’t say this song has a sad streak running through the center line, but the backing music does evoke sentimentality. It’s the same reason that Christmas music or even Hallmark movies do so well – they tear at our heart strings. We want to stay in those memories.
The hope in the girls’ voices leads me to believe that no matter the distance, this love is destined. From her perspective she’s had a day where she feels needy, missing him. She’s in need of that reassurance. I loved the humanity in that, the idea that she’s still brave enough to sing about it; she’s not hiding her feelings. It’s in that moment, that idea that I felt like Wild Fire (and co-writers Honey County) become inspiring to young females. They are wallowing, and they are fully capable of making it on their own. It’s a great thing to communicate your feelings and this song captures the ‘voice’ of many young females. They might feel like their own identities are woven into their boyfriends. I never got that sense listening to “Like Home”. They honor their relationship. They are just feeling that the distance is a bit much on this particular day. For teenagers, many that might be attending different colleges from their high school sweetheart, “Like Home” is a beautiful tune. Listening to these sisters sing makes that emotion feel not so lonely.
Chadwick Easton