SINGLE REVIEW: BLU3MINK “BROKEN THOUGHTS”
A raw, emo guitar line, crumpled with bedroom pop and hip hop; a slightly chaotic, overwhelming emotional moment. “Broken Thoughts” from the UK-based singer-songwriter carries the intricate remembrance of a broken love before it’s gone.
Thoughts flooding your mind as the feeling of missing out on a chance taking control over. The warmth and the familiar smell still linger, yet it is slipping through as you witness, blowing in the wind.
The spark of tenderness and vulnerability in Blu3mink’s performance brings flashbacks from the past. Romance is still present in his voice. The reality hovers over his head, raining on top memories.
The song wrenches your heart although it isn’t heartbroken in its nature.
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SINGLE REVIEW: HOL “BONES”
Following her debut album, The Chapter, the talented 18-year-old singer-songwriter HOL released the alternative rock anthem “Bones.” Surrounded by distorted guitars and heavy-hitting drums, HOL’s voice reminds you of the wonderfulness of lollipops in the summer.
Around the painful, destructive nature of heartbreak and guilt, HOL navigates through with the eventual realization that speaks courage and freedom. There's so much power that comes from walking away – if something was meant to be, it will be.
Like all the best things in rock music, “Bones” is young and energetic, explosive as it wanted to be. Truthful with no remorse. It reminds you of the best of the years, the nights that are full of possibilities.
ARTIST INTERVIEW: FLATFOOT SAM “VEN A BAILAR”
“I was on holiday in Cornwall in August 2020 with my laptop, staying in an old lifeboat station looking out to sea in a beautiful cove. The sounds of the waves at the beginning and end are sampled from the cove. It’s an inspirational place. This tune flowed out down there,” said Flatfoot Sam.
“Ven A Bailar” has a sense of mystery and beauty reserved in the natural rhyme and magic in nature. From the cove evolved a beat that gradually became its own universe. Submerging into the magical space, a foreign holler emerged from a distance. As honest as nature intended, the chant drags you into its energy field. Into its history and cultures, landscapes, and people. It was moving and unforgettable in an explainable manner. It sticks with you and becomes something you always search for.
“I stumbled across the sample, which is a Spanish guy called Jordi Coza who sings in his song ‘Ven a Bailar mi ritmo popular.’ It means come and dance to my funky rhythm. It was the sound and honesty of the vocal that drew me to it,” said Flatfoot Sam, “It has made me realize the vibe of a lyric can be as important as the lyrical content, like when you’re listening to a French song with French lyrics and enjoying it as much, even though you don’t know most of the words.”
TripField is a fusion of Leftfield and Trip Hop. Flatfoot Sam accidentally invented it back in 2020, working on his debut single, “I Never Left.” With “Ven a Bailar” being the second single and the forthcoming “R3lease” later this year being the third, the tunes fit into a similar stylish approach, which Flatfoot Same decided to name it TripField.
“Generally, there are smooth and warm sub-bases (comes in at 00:48), breakbeats, and multi-layers sonics so that you can listen to it many times and keep hearing new stuff. It is meant to evoke emotional feelings. The tracks are general sub 100 bpm, and whether they are light or darker, they are normally slightly melancholy. There is often a rave-influenced section of the track. Like in Ven a Bailar, the build at 02:40 and drop at 03:00 have an old skool feel to them without changing the overall vibe too much. There is generally an ethereal nature to the tracks but put up against harder clubbier sounds to clash but complement (02:22). You can generally find a nice acid 303 line in there somewhere too,” Flatfoot Sam explained.
REVIEW & INTERVIEW: BOYWITHAHALO “DONTSAVEME”
A raw, sensitive vocal shimmers in between the minimalistic guitar strumming and DIY soundscape. The minute Boywithahalo started singing, we know “dontsaveme” is special. The song vocalizes the fear Boywithahalo had as an Asian American LGBTQ+ musician during the pandemic prior to Anti-Asian crime. From his personal experience to their honest, authentic performance, the beauty of “dontsaveme” comes from fully embracing one’s true self.
Boywithahalo spent the first half of his life in Tianjin, China, and the other half jumping from one apartment to another, dealing with various challenging living conditions in Texas. The blend of cultural influences in “dontsaveme” is subtle. The unique Dallas vibe was in perfect harmony with Beabadoobee-inspired songwriting.
The song was written in Boywithahalo’s childhood home when the lockdown and isolation have created disconnection and division between one another. “The first two lines of lyrics stated how I don't want to be burned out or dead before all this ended as well as being ridiculed due to my race and its apparent association with the virus,” said boywithahalo, “I wrote those lyrics in September of 2020, before the Anti-Asian hate crimes that increased exponentially in 2021. It’s scary how all of my fears became true.”
Without access to outside sources due to Chinese internet regulation, Boywithahalo spent most of his time discovering new artists on Spotify. Isolation has gifted him the time of contemplation and reflection. Prior to the pandemics, like the majority of artists, Boywithahalo was aiming to make the next hit song or make it to the top 40. However, the discovery of Asian songwriters Powfu and beabadoobee fundamentally changed his approach to music. Boywithahalo had an epiphany.
“They (Powfu and Beabadoobee) are of my own generation, delicately handling their own separate crafts with style and grace, and it really made me reconsider my position as a musician and what I stood for,” Boywithahalo commented on the transition from their role as music producer and composer to a singer-songwriter, “then there came this overwhelming emotional urge to start singing my own songs. It’s like second nature. I was meant to stumble upon this result all along.”
With an Akai Mini, gifted from a special friend when they couldn’t afford a keyboard and a cheap practice guitar off TaoBao, Boywithahalo began his DIY music-making journey. “help” was his debut single revolving around mental health themes that came out in February. In contrast to “dontsaveme,” “help” was about mental exhaustion and calling for help in despair.
Being exposed to both Chinese and American political, cultural environments, Boywithahalo has learned to appreciate the different approaches due to unique cultural, historical circumstances. “Many seem to treat foreign countries and politics like sports or fights, which causes this us vs. them mentality to surface when it doesn't need to. Superiority complexes as well, I believe, over China (which is synonymous with "Asia" to some) also create these situations,” said Boywithahalo. He advocates equality, love, and connection instead of propaganda.
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SINGLE REVIEW: THE ROADSIDE BANDITS PROJECT “WASTELANDS”
A lonely soul riding down a lonesome road at sunset. Leaving everything behind or heading towards an inevitable future. Those big feelings are brewing in the air. Looking at the horizon and lighting up another cigarette, when guitar speaks louder than words.
“Wastelands” has the classic sound of last century’s drunken, mellow rock n roll with a touch of modern dream pop. Stemmed from the blues, the rock aesthetic always has a dark, tragic twist on the back of its story: wistful, introspective, and truthful but always heartening.
The Roadside Bandits Project traces down the lost sounds, walking down the history of rhythm & blues, hat off to those before us. Eventually, they sit back down at the crossroad where the two were one, to begin with.
You can’t pinpoint the blues by a heavy southern accent or a specific sound, but it’s there and everywhere. It’s an impression, a feeling, and a memory subtly telling the story behind the sliding atonal expression.
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NEW RELEASE: SEADOG “OLD JOE”
"Old Joe is a regular guy who became fixated with a romance that didn't quite work out and has since been longing to rekindle that magical spark that he once had. He knows that it's the only thing that made him feel human, and now he's forever living under dark clouds.”
photo credit: Tom Chadd
Spiraling down the memory lane with warmth and sentiments, vintage footage sets the mood of “Old Joe.” The story of a man who is stuck in the memory of a perfect past and an unfulfilled present unveils in the reoccurring choruses and ever-changing verses.
With personal references and symbolization of a past era, the past was brightened up in the passing time. Motorik beat brought back the time on the road with an earful of wind accompanied by the sweet, old engine sound; luxurious Ford, planes, splitting nucleus; the penetration of a dripping tap – “So blissful was the time when he walks a carefree stride with you in tow.”
The man gradually drifted into alcoholism, darkness, and despair until nothing has left but a misfitting middle-aged man with a beer belly dwelling on the past, wishfully rekindle the lost flame.
“So I saw the spell he fell under; used to be so perfect in the past.”
Photo credit: Tom Chadd
A dramatic escalation of an overwhelming loss with the cinematic sequential approach of repetition switching back and forth between the sad, crying babyfaces and a doll on fire – what’s gone can never regain. The blinking button says, “part missing.”
Through a frosted glass, “Old Joe” glances into the melancholic remembrance of love and glory with nostalgic warmth.
“The rain soaks through, every ounce of you; cause your aura held the light, that kept them through the night, he only knew. ”
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SINGLE REVIEW: ALVINOS ZAVLIS “OUTTA MY HEAD”
“If I sleep, I’ll get up 3 am, shout out, scream ‘get out of my head.’” Albinos Zalvis
When the clock points to 3 am, the world shifts into a fluid-like surreality—fragility in complete darkness surrounded by silence. The airy, cloudy shadows float through spaces. The striking synth chords skip a beat from time to time on the edge of breaking down.
“In my room by myself, trying to paint over her.”
Alvinos Zalvis is a UK-based visual artist and an experimental hip-hop music producer. Designed by the artist himself, the cover art features a person burying his face into a largely shaped pillow in a room surrounded by all sorts of thoughts, hallucinated and random. The painting was tainted with water stains and intentionally strayed colors.
Alvinos Zavlis’s “Outta My Head” is a sonic portrait of frustration and mental struggle revolving around loss and unfulfilled love. When the color palettes are tainted and messed up into mud; when the familiar smile sneaks into your dream; when no matter how much you wanted to get better and feel better, the mind keeps circling back to the beginning...till the fear of closing your eyes overcome exhaustion in the deadly silence.
In the multifaceted sonic space brimmed with finely flakes of noise, smog creeps from the lowest, blocking the vision. Followed by a temporary pause was the emotional release. Heavy-hitting beats portray the intensity of the mental struggle, punching through the sonic walls in flashing lights.
SINGLE REVIEW: MOLTENO “OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE”
“I was lucky enough to stay in the middle of nowhere in the first lockdown and there was a quietness and a sense of eeriness and social isolation that seeped into the studio at the time. With ‘Our house is On Fire,’ I wanted to explore the way homes can feel inescapable in periods of change like relationship breakdowns or family dysfunction. Like the house is slowly burning.” Molteno
Photo credit: Laura Viana and Simone Meissl
On the edge of immobility hovering over each motion, Molteno’s voice is the narrative witness, involved yet remain untouched. Our House is on Fire” is overwhelmingly evocative and as soft as a feather, drifting in melancholy.
Like the moment of stillness in a dark night, flicking that perfect reflection of shadows; witnessing the flame invading the sky with its titian madness, fading in smokey surreality in a distance.
The escape to the inescapable lays in the puzzle of reality. As the tumultuous, polluted world sinks down, the stars shine again in resounding echoes of crickets chirping.
REVIEW & INTERVIEW: MOOD ORGAN ‘SLIGHTSEEING’
The sleep-deprived 3 am is an intricate time of possibilities. Followed by a crisp crack, bizarre ideas and wild imaginations sneak out under the nightlight, dancing around in circles. Synchronicity playfully flirts and teases under the table; you’re confused yet more than certain at the same time. Madness or terrified? The mysterious entrance to the world of randomness appears out of nowhere. Slightseeing invites you to seek the answers yourself.
Acknowledging that you’re the stranger and tourist in the world of Slightseeing, flipping the roof off of their individual rooms, observing their life and struggles in god’s view:
Although the brain talks every day, pumping stupid ideas, wise observation with meaningless thoughts, and unstoppable desires, you may still be foreign to its own world. At 3 am, inspired by a conversation between Ben (bass) and Ev (lead vocal), “Brain Tourist” was created within 3 hours. When littering is damaging the environment, the alert goes off, and the brain is freaking out. “How do I call Gabe from the Green team? They don’t send around Newspaper no more,” the lyrics wrote.
Ventilations, cleaning service, comparing prices, weather forecasts, and tidal shifts, brain maintenance can be a lot. When it’s overloaded, it drools and mumbles, “not now I’m tired” while shooting out random phrases in its dream, “I know my way around/I think I’m losing my shit/It’s not in the bathroom or sofa/these bloody brain tourists.”
Inspired by horse people from Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You, “Life As a Horse” was written collectively by Mood Organ. The song can be interpreted in various ways, but it’s really just about a horse from the band's perspective.
“We slowly built up this image of a poor single father struggling to make ends meet, which is a very real problem, but the thing was he was still a horse, and towards the end of writing it, we realized we needed to add some more silly stuff, so that's where the passage about scurvy and, ‘this says a lot about society’ came from,” they said, “we realized it could be interpreted either as a critique of the capitalist status quo or a PARODY of said critique, but really it's just about a horse.”
It’s easy to become attached to the world of Slightseeing: the puppet hypnotized by the magician, frozen in its movement; the 3-year-old affirming “yeah” from Ollie (drum) sometimes leads to unexpected fantasies; even though you can’t comprehend Melanie, the crazy bean lady, you still look forward to the encounter. The nightlife fades in daybreak, but Slightseeing will always be there for you.
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REVIEW & INTERVIEW: RYA “UNLIKELY”
“I have been making music for a long time, and I’ve had a lot of criticism come my way,” said RYA. “Unlikely” reflects on the outside voices, doubts, and negativity from people who don’t share the same vision. Criticism can be hurtful, and the pursuit of the dream is sometimes clouded by confusion.
Although in the narrative of “Unlikely,” eventually the discouraging girlfriend left for another guy, the song sparks strength growing between the gap of a cliff, thriving for the seemingly “impossible” dream. “That’s when I told her you don’t really know anything about me, that I could grow into something, and you should never doubt me.”
RYA’s voice emerges in dissonance. Even in a storm, his aura remains tender and peaceful. The answer never lies in the outside world. Motivation, passion, and affirmation come from within. As the old saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The challenges and obstacles only contribute to personal growth.
“I think all the insults and constructive criticism have just felt like exercises in growth and development as an artist. Now, when people don’t believe in where I’m going, I kinda feel sad for them. It’s like, ‘you really don’t wanna be part of this awesome journey?’ that seems crazy to me!” said RYA.
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SINGLE REVIEW: CHELSEY COY “TIDAL WAVE”
“Tidal Wave” is a Billie Eilish-inspired dark-pop with drastic emotional contrasts and heart-wrenching tension. Chelsey Coy’s powerful delivery of a cathartic climax blends R&B influence with a hint of indie-folk flavor.
Underneath calmness lies the power of destruction. Like tidal waves, depression can be unpredictable in its nature. A drastic pull that instantly sinks you down to the bottom. Chelsey Coy’s “Tidal Wave” revolves around the ocean symbolism unveils the moment of overwhelmingness when the reoccurring wave of depression hits.
In the silky breeze, the sound of a piano gently plucks the heartstrings. The moment you interact with the ocean is intimate and illuminated. The mysterious nature of the ocean intrigues you to step forward. “The sea was calm, and I stepped in the water; didn’t stray too far from the shore. Suddenly I’m drifting past the harbor.”
The episode of depression comes in waves. Sink-floating in the massive sadness, feeling doomed of drowning. “two steps back, one forward, the pull is strong; two steps back, one forward, it won’t be long.” The never-ending struggle comes at sunset as the night approaches. It approaches and sucks you in completely. In front of its undefendable force, you scream at the top of your lungs, but no sound came out.
REVIEW & INTERVIEW: 1DAY “WEIGHT OF THE RAIN (OUTRO)”
“I was feeling down and had been caught up in this fantasy life with this new girl I had just met a week prior. I wanted to capture that emotion one night as I was lying in bed staring at the light of the moon coming through my apartment window. That’s where the idea was born, and then from there, I just picked a very simple guitar sequence and recorded the first thing that came into my head,” said 1DAY.
Poetic in its nature, “Weight of the Rain” merges with tenderness and sensitivity reminds of the first rain in spring. With the perfect sonic ground of surreality, the song nurtures and protects the dream seed even though it eventually ends in heartbreak and disappointment.
Rooted in the word “Sonder,” meaning the relatability of emotions and pain, the intro from 1day is a heartfelt calling for compassion and understanding between people. As humans, we all have good and bad days, baggage, and traumas. If we make an effort to see things from other’s perspectives with the same sentiment that we offer to ourselves, there would be less conflict and division.
“I think the best way to describe my brand is introverted relation,” said 1Day, “Even though I can be seen as an extroverted individual, I do enjoy and relate to others on an introverted spectrum. As humans, we all experience the same emotions, and I try to inspire others to express sad emotions and be okay with feeling them.”
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SINGLE REVIEW: MARIE MINET “HAPPY END”
Fairytales and happy endings, even in movies and shows, the romanticized storylines often are companied by commercialized dramatic plots. We were told to believe in rainbows and miracles, but in the end, they are just a paper of wishful thinking.
“Happy End” tackles disappointment and frustration towards made believe and a fantasized la la land. The floral nature of Marie Minet’s voice merging with a sense of nostalgia, strength, and sensitivity; her poised delivery carried out the tension and bitterness behind Paul Minet’s sophisticated, poetic lyrics.
“Je suis à présent comme l’héroïne d’un vieux film noir;
“I’m now like the heroine of an old film noir;
En carence de sérotonine et la tronche dans le brouillard.
Deficient in serotonin and face in fog;
Un peu comme le personnage de ce mauvais polar;
A bit like the character of this bad thriller
Criblé d’espoir, jusqu’à l’overdose”
Riddled with hope, until overdose.”
The brainless entertainment and fantasies that we tend to numb ourselves with; the illusions and images being advertised again and again. “Happy End” is the song that makes you pause and reflect on this generation of information.
“I think along the way we got lost.”
Check out the new release “Hanoi Kel-P Remix” with Ghanaian production Kel-P on Marie Minet ballad “Hanoi”
REVIEW & INTERVIEW: PLEASEPRETTYLEA “OHHEYCIDE”
Disclaimer: the content of this article touches on suicide ideation, viewer discretion advised.
(For best reading experience, click on the track below)
“To become comfortable with the uncomfortable to progress.” Pleaseprettylea
The world has lost its color. Her legs trembled and returned to silence. A fragile, detached whisper revolves around the feathery choir and moanful strings, with its strength stollen, exhausted, and fractured, “I wish you would save me, but you’re the one that breaks me; I wish you would save me, but you’re the one that hates me.”
They say that the one we love and trust the most has the power to destroy us. You expect them to guard and protect it; then they stab it in your heart with the power handed by yourself. The person you used to be died at that moment, and the world has shattered into pieces.
The demonic whispers have convinced you of something that wasn’t true. The thought of ending it all has crossed your mind. “Suicide ideation is real and although it is uncomfortable it needs to be spoken about,” said Pleaseprettylea.
Photo credit: Nicole Amy Visuals
“I was experiencing intense emotions that I found difficult to comprehend at the time,” she continued, “I remember sitting in front of my mirror following a chaotic episode for about 30mins in silence. Shortly after, I started writing what would be ‘Ohheycide.’”
Time rolls back to the preparation as the footstep approaches, eerie piano sparsely scattered. As if it was governed by an entity, the rope was tempting to be put on. “She pulls the rope, yet there is no sound.” The narration took a sudden turn into raw, exposed emotions as the sound of a beating heart in replacement of the footsteps.
“Clench my heart as it breaks a million times. Painted lips as I force a broken smile.”
“I think it was when I realized I was beginning to scare myself,” the idea of writing a song about suicide came to her mind. “I still have flashbacks every day of significant past events. Sometimes they are derived through dreams and daydreams. Other times, it could be specific cars, sounds, text, familiar emotions but different circumstances,” she said. At times, the temptation to be triggered and to keep on reliving the state of familiarity can be addictive and hard to resist. The walk of anger and frustration repressed within oneself is a lonely battle with darkness.
“When I’m alone in my chaos, I can become very impulsive, like really hyperactive but in a dangerous way. I also ‘check out,’ as if I have left my body.” Pleaseprettyplea continued, “When I’m alone in my depressive state, I tend to isolate myself and not tend to my personal needs. I tend to either not eat or eat in a way that would not benefit my health. Sleep too much or sleep too little. I tend to lack motivation and have no desire to complete any tasks. I can become extremely lethargic and short-tempered.”
In its raw, honest expression, “Ohheycide” sheds light on the healing process of trauma and PTSD. Even in the darkness when you were convinced of worthlessness and tempted to end it all, there was still hope.
“I love the fact that the last line is ‘NO NOT THIS TIME.’ This last statement really needed to be said because even when I thought hope wasn’t there, it was. I just needed to search a little further down,” said Pleaseprettylea.
To trust and love yourself again is going to take a lot of effort and strength, but in the end there is hope. For every day you’ve survived is a battle won.
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SINGLE REVIEW: OLIVIA BURKE “ANYBODY ELSE”
In the lighthearted atmosphere, Olivia Burke’s vocal is flavorful with a raw sensitivity. The shell, rosy color slowly flows in time, “Anybody Else” takes you to the DIY world of bedroom dream-pop and the inner journey of a 22-year-old Irish singer-songwriter, Olivia Burke.
Influenced by Amy Winehouse and R&B music, her soulful expression reveals a hint of bitterness, the underlying theme of emotional struggles and dissonance elegantly tugged into the cadences and innovation.
With the desire to resolve and be happy again, “Anybody Else” is a love song addressing a former self.
Subtle yet expressive, the track stirs up feelings in an unfamiliar way. Like previous releases from Olivia Burke, “Anybody Else” is one that sticks in your head.
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REVIEW & INTERVIEW: RJ BACON ‘LOW AMBITION DAY’
Born out of late-night sessions during the lockdown, Low Ambition Day blossomed in serenity and tranquility-- a secret celebration of personal freedom. Like a joyfully colored soft capsule that lightens up the mood within ten seconds, Low Ambition Day by RJ Bacon invites you to a secret location of a refreshing vacation that will set free all worries and burdens.
Spaced out improvisation with bending notes, a few walks from the saxophone, and turns around. Grabbing a neat bourbon and sliding into the atmosphere as the night deepening. In the dimmed light, small talks between friends while the spare set of ears wanders in the asteful twists in the background. Those times remind you of the good in life. Although the lockdown has restricted access to live music and bars, RJ Bacon’s voice got that hanging craving covered.
From an initial idea of creating relaxing tunes that spontaneously evolved into a full album, the tunes demanded to be written. “It was a lot of fun,” said RJ Bacon, “I love bluesy, lounge jazz in the style of John Schofield, MJQ, Oscar Peterson, Mingus, and the like.”
Except for “Low Ambition Day,” in spoken terms of the atmosphere itself, and “Moore Park,” inspired by a saxophone player who used to practice alone in the park, the master behind some of the intriguing, humorous song titles is RJ Bacon’s seven-year-old daughter. “She likes to help me with these things when I’m in the studio,” he said.
We often struggle with loneliness and isolation in life, but some relaxing music with good vibes and a human touch can always make you feel grounded. “I like to make music that sounds like you’re in a nice little club or a bar having a drink and enjoying cool, smooth music and good company. I like it to sound like real people playing retro jazz,” he said.
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SINGLE REVIEW: COASTAL TOWN “SUMMER SUNDAYS”
Coastal Town is a Vancouver-based family indie-pop band. “Summer Sundays” is a heartfelt recollection of the summer memories. Those Sundays picking up blackberries, laying under the shades, looking into the shattering lights in between leaves when the time has come to a standstill. Those Sundays you wish it never ends.
“Summer Sunday” has the magical healing power that makes you feel like showering in the sunlight on a cozy afternoon, surrounded by love and laughter. It’s a song that recharges you with good feelings.
All the problems are taken away by the wind. You are back to a simpler time of, reconnecting to security and the memories of joy and innocence. Whenever you feel sad and alone on those rainy days, listen to “Summer Sundays.”
“Hold on tight for as long as you can, I get this feeling until I fall.”
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SINGLE REVIEW: RAINY DAY WOMAN “LITTLE BIRD”
Those thoughts and stories drift into the wandering ears become the folkloric tales we hear by the campfire. “Little Bird” by the Bristol-based Americana duo Rainy Day Woman revolves around the story of a woman who has lost her child in the ocean, roaming to a foreign land in a flimsy boat carried by the tides.
Like a bird lost its tribe in the migration to another land, the woman was dislocated to an unfamiliar landscape. Her body still aches from the raving pain while her ear still rings from the roaring ocean. Yet her heart and soul wanders in the deep blue sea, where the child once in her arms awaits.
Photo credit: Millie Frances
Fiddle and banjo, a heartbroken tale melts in Hannah’s siren-like voice, pulling at your heartstrings. Like stars of the ancient, atonal ornaments wink in between the familiar and unfamiliar, sliding through memories imprinted in our bloodline.
Like those tales that never leave the space, “Little Bird” lingers in the whisper of the reoccurring tides, carried by the salty, humid coastal air.
“And one day I’ll swim out in the vast blue ocean. My time will have come, and she’ll take me in the setting sun.”
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REVIEW & INTERVIEW: DANDYBINGO “WONDERLAND”
On a feverish night, loneliness got lost in the longing for warmth. Though in the daytime we are confident with the will to fight, when the night approaches, the insecurities and desiderium eventually resurface in the reiterating tides. The intensity of being caught up in the in-between translates into the ever quivering, dazing flakes trapped in a mirage of DandyBingo’s “Wonderland.”
The dangerously dreamy temptation flutters in the background, DandyBingo narrates through the inner madness and staggering helplessness of the disoriented. The moment when you question everything that you do. The moment if the effort doesn’t lead to a promised reward. The moment if we were just as hopeless and unlovable, said the little devil on the shoulder.
Like a traveler crossing a deadly desert, when the doubts finally flooded through the last defense, polydipsia and hallucination lead to complete defeat. When every single word distorted, circling and elevating into the air at the same time falling into the abyss...
Started making music in 2016, through early Lo-fi and EDM experiments, DandyBingo is finding his sound in dream pop. “Making music is an ever-shifting process and sometimes a mental battle as I try to capture new feelings, emotions, and vibes,” said DandyBingo, “that being said, I love it more than ever.”
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ALBUM REVIEW: CAREY CLAYTON ‘GRADUALLY, SUDDENLY’
The reality hit in the most brutal way when you open the door of the once shared apartment for the first time. Disrupted by other things, you haven’t had time to process the breakup. The moment you opened the door, the familiarity and strangeness instantly brought back reality—the emptiness attacks like a disease. You can’t stop the feeling of something ripping your heart out. Panic attack arrived in silence; at that moment, you were drowning and suffocated between the swelling walls.
‘Gradually, Suddenly’ was born from a panic attack when Carey Clayton returned to his apartment for the first time after his four-year relationship has ended. “Thought of You” was the initial refusal of reality in an attempt to recapture the warmth before it slips. In the sweet, childlike chimes and dreamlike, surreal texture, we sink into the lake of memories, as if bathing in a perfect glass world, looking through the peephole into the past, disregarding the draining lungs.
Through the shattered light you remembered when you first met. “give it all away” is the crush, the blush, and the first kiss stored in time. Fragile as glasses, in the end, the world decomposes in the burning ashes. Then all that it left was debris. Color has faded, and the world became black and white in “debris.” Wandering aimlessly in numbness, sadness sometimes came to visit in waves.
“How does it help” has the sound of a classic sad song at a different time. The oddly cliché melodies bring forth a moment of realization: the glows from an older time slipped awayunnoticed. We didn’t know what we were missing. Maybe one night, you finally started crying. You started to reflect on everything that led to where you are, wondering what went wrong. In the end, you realized it has really ended, and there was nothing you could do about it.
The feelings finally evoked in the album opener “not of plastic.” The complex feelings crash and collide with each other. In contrast to the coherent, gentle sadness, there was the struggle of repressed, destructive energy. Instead of an explosive release, the built-up faded to its climax and was then channeled into the thriving energy in “underfoot.” The underlying tension reoccurs like tides, yet the destructive force has transformed into something else.
The cycle of life has brought us back to the beginning of “thought of you” with an entirely new experience.
