Kate Bush: Hounds of Love

I’ll admit it, I’m here because of Stranger Things, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Hounds of Love is not a one-track record. Comfortable yet pioneering within 80s synth dream pop, Kate Bush is fearless in her ability to express raw emotion and survival. Through the retelling of a tragic accident, she leads us through a concept album that demands repeat listens and close attention to the lyrics.

There’s a similar feels likened to The Cure, but HoL feels grander; more polished. It’s beautiful and terrifying, a journey through the mind where all emotions blur together.

When “Running Up That Hill” appeared in Stranger Things, many people (re)discovered Kate Bush’s music, myself included. Kate once said in an interview that it doesn’t matter how we (they've) gotten here. So who cares if ST was the gateway drug.

What matters are the themes and the staying power. That idea fits this album perfectly.

Hounds of Love is about being lost, submerged. In love, in fear, in memory, and quite literally underwater. The second half of the album follows a woman drifting in open water afraid to fall asleep. Shifting between consciousness and dreams, confronting past trauma and the instinct to survive.

It’s claustrophobic, emotional, and almost pious. Remember, it saved Mad Max, after all.