Top TV Song Last Week: Doomed by Moses Sumney

HBO’s Westworld returned for the third season – entitled A New World – and claimed the top spot for most popular TV song last week. The stirring and soul-piercing track comes from Moses Sumney.

 

 

An instrumental cover by Westworld series composer Ramin Djawadi plays through the final scene of episode three. The original version of ‘Doomed’ by Moses Sumney takes over for the end credits. The lyrics narrate the struggle of the host in Charlotte Hale’s body, “Am I vital, if my heart is idle? Am I doomed? Cradle me so I can see, If I’m doomed.”

‘Doomed’ was released on June 27, 2017 through Jagjaguwar. The song emotes through ambient synths and Sumney’s higher notes struggling with existential questions about life without love. His voice cracks in the falsetto and tightens the listener’s chest as if crushed by loneliness. ‘Doomed’ evokes a sense of longing and desolation. 

The official music video for ‘Doomed’ shows Sumney trapped inside a water tank, unable to reach a woman. The visual metaphor pairs with the profound isolation of this dark and lingering song. 

 

The American singer-songwriter currently resides in Asheville, North Carolina. Sumney is of Ghanaian descent and moved from California to Ghana at the age of 10. He returned to California at 16 years old and later attended UCLA, where he studied creative writing and poetry. 

Moses Sumney taught himself to play guitar and began performing when he was 20 years old. He sang on the opening track for Beck’s Song Reader album. In 2014, Sumney released his debut EP, Mid-City Island, a five-song self-recorded EP that was purposefully incomplete and raw. In 2016, Sumney released his next EP, Lamentations, featuring guest artist Thundercat.

Sumney’s first full-length album, entitled Aromanticism, was released in September 2017. The New York Times named it one of the best albums of 2017. Songs from the album have been featured on television, including the 2017 single release ‘Doomed’ on the season 6 finale of Orange is the New Black on Netflix. His single ‘Quarrel’ appeared on Netflix’s Dear White People and ‘Plastic’ appeared on HBO’s Insecure. 

Moses Sumney’s second studio album, græ will be released in two parts. The first part was released in February of this year and the second part is expected in May 2020.

 

More

〉Listen now: Doomed by Moses Sumney

〉More music by Moses Sumney

〉Full list of the Westworld soundtrack

〉Popular songs on Tunefind