TRACK REVIEW
Track:
“Alone With My Thoughts”(2021)
Artists:
Oh, Bermuda!/Damien Murphy
“A dark and moody track that shines a “no holds barred” light on depression and the effects it can have on an individual’s mental state when being left alone with their thoughts (pun intended). The track immediately presents the trademark “SoundCloud emo-rap” sound that’s reminiscent of genre-fluid pioneers like the Goth Boy Clique (Lil Peep, Wicca Phase, Yunggoth, etc.) and Yung Lean.”
Get some omniscient droning synths and mysterious chords, put it against a punching hi-hat/snare/kick combo, and voila. With the opening of this track being as faithful to the genre as it is, I expected to hear the trademark autotune vocals as the cherry on top of this emotional banger, only to be presently surprised when I heard clean vocals coming through. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Clean vocals? On an emo rap track? How can that work?!”, But the Oh, Bermuda!/Damien Murphy duo blow the production and vocal delivery out of the water. As a result, Alone With My Thoughts pays homage to its predecessors like Lil Peep and Wicca Phase, while still finding its own voice and bringing something new to the table.
Now, there are a handful of different influences I could pick up on in this track. One of them being a distinct connection to the production and song structure between what we’ve been hearing in Johnny Goth’s newest releases, and Alone With My Thoughts.
This is completely understandable, being that track collaborator, Damien Murphy, is also the drummer for Johnny Goth. This connection becomes increasingly apparent as the track progresses. Most notably at the 1:27 mark when the track brings in a screeching guitar distortion as it branches off the main chorus melody. Alone With My Thoughts seems to use this moment in the track as a springboard to pick up the pace and introduce multiple layers of manipulated backing vocals that seamlessly blend into the overall production of the track.
While Alone With My Thoughts clearly takes influence from it’s Emo Rap/Punk predecessors, Oh, Bermuda! and Damien Murphy are able to put rubber to road and concoct a new and exciting sound that I, personally, am looking forward to hearing more of.
Check out Oh, Bermuda! and Damien Murphy’s other work!
Oh, Bermuda!: @ohbermuda
Damien Murphy: @damienmurph
SOUNDCLOUD
Oh, Bermuda!: https://soundcloud.com/ohbermuda
Damien Murphy: https://soundcloud.com/damien_murphy
BANDCAMP
Oh, Bermuda!: https://ohbermuda.bandcamp.com/album/access
Damien Murphy: https://damienmurphy.bandcamp.com/community
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