“Astronaut in the Ocean” by Masked Wolf

As implied in this post’s tail end, up until the release of “Astronaut in the Ocean”, Masked Wolf wasn’t necessarily a successful musician. That may explain why, according to his own words, he was dealing with a severe case of mental depression when he put this song together. That being said, it is important to mention that mental health has also been his signature topic.

And accordingly what we were dealing with in terms of the title is an analogy. The way it has been described is as being based on the fact that astronauts tend to train for being in space by performing similar tasks underwater. And metaphorically, the artist’s depression is also “deep” like the depths of the sea. 

So that is why he “feel(s) like an astronaut in the ocean”, with the astronaut being himself, and the ocean being symbolic of the overall, encompassing anguish he is experiencing.

And as alluded to earlier, he does sort of imply in the first verse that such may be due to his career not progressing as idealized. But harping too much on the depressing aspect of this song takes away from its conclusive meaning. For as far as the actual verses are concerned, “Astronaut in the Ocean” isn’t so much about the artist being overwhelmed by his problems as it is his resolve to overcome them. In fact as things progress the lyrics themselves become more braggadocious in nature.

Indeed in many regards the Masked Wolf comes off as your quintessential rapper. For instance, he presents himself as somewhat of a womanizer and an artist with exceptional lyrical skills. But there is a humble, even semi-religious tone underneath it all. 

Conclusion

So conclusively we can say that yes, the vocalist at hand may at times feel overwhelmed by the weight of the world. But he possesses a type of faith and work ethic which will not allow him to actually be overcome by such.

Release Date of “Astronaut in the Ocean”

Masked Wolf is a rapper from Australia who became professionally active in 2018. And heading into 2021 Astronaut in the Ocean, which came out on 6 June 2019, remains his most-famous (and only chart-worthy) song.

This track was originally released under a label called Teamwrk Records. But after blowing up on social media, Elektra Records re-released it in early-January 2021. In the process, Elektra also signed Masked Wolf to a multi-album contract. However, he still remains affiliated with Teamwrk. And the following month, the song proceeded to exceed 100,000,000 streams on Spotify.

Even More Accomplishments

This track topped music charts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It actually proved to be especially popular in Europe, where it charted in a slew of countries. It charted in approximately 20 nations overall. This included “Astronaut in the Ocean” making an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. In the latter case, it broke the top 20.

Writing and Production

Masked Wolf wrote this song alongside its producer, Tyron Hapi, another Sydney-based musician. It didn’t blow up until a year after being released, with the intro in particular being heavily utilized by TikTokers. And overall, it appears as if the success of this track may prove to shed a whole new light on hip-hop emanating from Australia in general.

It has also been noted that NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who used the song on an Instagram post, contributed to its virality.

Who is Masked Wolf?

As of early-2021 not much public information is available on Masked Wolf. He is 29 years old at the time, and based on images of the rapper he doesn’t necessarily appear to be a native (i.e. White) Australian. He rather looks like someone who is perhaps of Middle Eastern descent. 

Meanwhile the name Masked Wolf alludes to the dual-nature of the artist. What this basically means is that he is (based on his own words) someone “you wouldn’t even think [is] a rapper” outside of the studio.

Masked Wolf gives a shoutout to Kendrick Lamar and his 2012 track “Swimming Pools (Drank)” in this song.