Contact
Kelela
Euphoric Escapism: The Nightlife Odyssey in Kelela's 'Contact'
Kelela's song 'Contact' is a vivid portrayal of the euphoric and liberating experience of nightlife. The lyrics take us on a journey through the vibrant and pulsating atmosphere of a night out, capturing the essence of freedom and escapism. The opening lines, 'We're takin' a ride, 405 through the west side / We're party to party, it's late but we're wide awake,' set the scene for an adventurous night, emphasizing the thrill and excitement of moving from one party to another, fully immersed in the moment.
The song delves into the sensory overload of the nightlife experience, with lines like 'The bass in my body, I'm sinkin', it's so wide / And time is surreal, now I'm floatin' in outer space.' Here, Kelela uses metaphors to describe the physical and emotional sensations of being in a club, where the music's bass reverberates through the body, creating a feeling of weightlessness and detachment from reality. This sense of floating and being in a surreal state is a common theme in songs about nightlife, highlighting the temporary escape from the mundane.
Kelela also touches on themes of connection and intimacy in the midst of the chaos. The lyrics 'Loneliness, I see in your eyes / It might just render you blind / Been gettin' harder these days / Contact, we just have to make' suggest a deeper yearning for human connection amidst the superficial interactions of the club scene. Despite the high-energy environment, there's an underlying desire for genuine contact and understanding. The repeated refrain of 'Oh, it's a sauna, here if you wanna' reinforces the idea of the club as a place of both physical and emotional heat, where people come together to lose themselves and find solace in the shared experience of music and dance.