TUESDAY FEB 26, 2019
Summer Heart
David Alexander, better known as Summer Heart, blends catchy lo- and dream-pop motifs that capture the soundtrack of an endless summer. Tastemaker blogs and mood-driven playlist curators have loved his tracks for years, with Hype Machine promoting him on ‘Nordic Spotlight’s Top 20 of 2016’ and ‘Hype Machine Favorites Vol.1’ on Spotify. With the 2017 release of his new album, 101, his Spotify pro le is pushing 40 million plays, and his Soundcloud is close behind at 10 million.
The new album tells the story of David’s love/hate relationship with music, best expressed in the song, “Love Affairs,” that acts as both a devotion to making music and as a love letter to someone special. These universal life experiences are musically infused with nostalgia for days of summers passed. Lyrically, Summer Heart songs touch on the transience of summer and the fleeting relationships therein. Hints of Washed Out, Blood Orange and Toro y Moi have inspired David to re ne chillwave sounds and polish them into his own summerwave aesthetic.
On his shift from lo- to electronic dream-pop,
David says, “I’ve always been into electronic music. Many of my very early Summer Heart releases
were 100% electronic. So, the sound of my album 101 is mostly due to my current influences, which are leaning more towards the electronic. The lo- sounds are disappearing because I am improving my production skills, which make me more con dent as a songwriter.”
David assembled his song ideas for 101 on the
road and recorded them back home in Sweden. He recalls, “I was in New York at the time, just hanging out, visiting art galleries and exhibitions, watching people, drinking mojitos and listening to music in my headphones.” Summer Heart is a musical diary of snapshots and memories from David Alexander’s life experiences.
David Alexander, better known as Summer Heart, blends catchy lo- and dream-pop motifs that capture the soundtrack of an endless summer. Tastemaker blogs and mood-driven playlist curators have loved his tracks for years, with Hype Machine promoting him on ‘Nordic Spotlight’s Top 20 of 2016’ and ‘Hype Machine Favorites Vol.1’ on Spotify. With the 2017 release of his new album, 101, his Spotify pro le is pushing 40 million plays, and his Soundcloud is close behind at 10 million.
The new album tells the story of David’s love/hate relationship with music, best expressed in the song, “Love Affairs,” that acts as both a devotion to making music and as a love letter to someone special. These universal life experiences are musically infused with nostalgia for days of summers passed. Lyrically, Summer Heart songs touch on the transience of summer and the fleeting relationships therein. Hints of Washed Out, Blood Orange and Toro y Moi have inspired David to re ne chillwave sounds and polish them into his own summerwave aesthetic.
On his shift from lo- to electronic dream-pop,
David says, “I’ve always been into electronic music. Many of my very early Summer Heart releases
were 100% electronic. So, the sound of my album 101 is mostly due to my current influences, which are leaning more towards the electronic. The lo- sounds are disappearing because I am improving my production skills, which make me more con dent as a songwriter.”
David assembled his song ideas for 101 on the
road and recorded them back home in Sweden. He recalls, “I was in New York at the time, just hanging out, visiting art galleries and exhibitions, watching people, drinking mojitos and listening to music in my headphones.” Summer Heart is a musical diary of snapshots and memories from David Alexander’s life experiences.
Brothertiger
John Jagos began his musical journey in 2009 by experimenting with his own electronic productions in his college dorm room. After uploading a few of his early creations to MySpace, he quickly attracted prominent music blog attention from outlets like Pitchfork and No Pain in Pop and found himself amidst the style of electronic pop sometimes referred to as chillwave. "The music I was already making was fitting into that vibe," he recalls. Eleven years into his career, Jagos has refined his productions and evolved the Brothertiger sound into a blend of hi-fi electronic-indie, new wave and nostalgic synth-pop.
Jagos released two albums—2012's Golden Years and Future Splendors in 2013—on electronic label Mush, which counts Bibio and Daedelus in its stable; in 2015, Jagos went full-on independent by self-releasing his third album, Out of Touch, which features the stand out “High Tide.” Since then, he's busied himself with touring and releasing a Tears for Fears cover album (of which Tears for Fears said, “His ‘Mothers Talk’ is better than ours”), 2019's A Chain of Islands EP, four instrumental albums (Fundamentals Vol. I-IV) compiled from his bi-monthly livestreams, as well as 2020's Paradise Lost, his first studio full-length in five years.
2021 was a prolific year for Jagos. New singles “Heaven,” “New Life,” and "Dancer On The Water" showcase a poppier musical direction in contrast to the darker, more self-reflective temperaments of Paradise Lost. A cover of the overlooked ‘80s gem “Torn Open” by Sophie and Peter Johnston arrived in early 2022 with guest vocals from guitar virtuoso Yvette Young. Now with new remixes in by a handful of the most exciting names in electronic and experimental music (CFCF, Fire-Toolz, and Ecovillage), Jagos is teasing at more exciting news on the horizon and proving that he has plenty of unique and tantalizing territories yet to explore.
John Jagos began his musical journey in 2009 by experimenting with his own electronic productions in his college dorm room. After uploading a few of his early creations to MySpace, he quickly attracted prominent music blog attention from outlets like Pitchfork and No Pain in Pop and found himself amidst the style of electronic pop sometimes referred to as chillwave. "The music I was already making was fitting into that vibe," he recalls. Eleven years into his career, Jagos has refined his productions and evolved the Brothertiger sound into a blend of hi-fi electronic-indie, new wave and nostalgic synth-pop.
Jagos released two albums—2012's Golden Years and Future Splendors in 2013—on electronic label Mush, which counts Bibio and Daedelus in its stable; in 2015, Jagos went full-on independent by self-releasing his third album, Out of Touch, which features the stand out “High Tide.” Since then, he's busied himself with touring and releasing a Tears for Fears cover album (of which Tears for Fears said, “His ‘Mothers Talk’ is better than ours”), 2019's A Chain of Islands EP, four instrumental albums (Fundamentals Vol. I-IV) compiled from his bi-monthly livestreams, as well as 2020's Paradise Lost, his first studio full-length in five years.
2021 was a prolific year for Jagos. New singles “Heaven,” “New Life,” and "Dancer On The Water" showcase a poppier musical direction in contrast to the darker, more self-reflective temperaments of Paradise Lost. A cover of the overlooked ‘80s gem “Torn Open” by Sophie and Peter Johnston arrived in early 2022 with guest vocals from guitar virtuoso Yvette Young. Now with new remixes in by a handful of the most exciting names in electronic and experimental music (CFCF, Fire-Toolz, and Ecovillage), Jagos is teasing at more exciting news on the horizon and proving that he has plenty of unique and tantalizing territories yet to explore.
Delorean Gray
Escapism has always formed the connective tissue between songwriter Jacob Chisenhall’s music. His last release under the Delorean Gray moniker, Star Tropics, dealt in dreamy sonic reveries, chronicling his protagonist’s interstellar journey to combat the nefarious Aristonauts. Similarly, the bulk of his previous band Fake Flowers’ output — including an unreleased full-length — carved out surreal soundscapes where deep-seeded sorrows and anxieties could go to hide. On his latest album as Delorean Gray, though, the longtime Atlantan sets a course straight for the heart of the struggle, confronting his troubles head-on and shedding the skin of a once apprehensive songwriter. On Otaku Punk, his third release as Delorean Gray, Chisenhall lays bare a tumultuous fallout in his most direct and mature work to date, all wrapped up in the sci-fi sheen of his protagonist’s own adventure.
Otaku Punk was crafted as a contrast piece to Star Tropics, both musically and narratively. The storyline tells of a winter spent in near isolation, mirroring Chisenhall’s own bout with depression, during which he finally came to terms with the dissolution of Fake Flowers. As Delorean and his crew head towards the Aristonaut’s hideout, they enter hibernation chambers to pass the time. Locked into a reality simulation called The Frontier, the team bask in a neon-teamed city devoid of laws and consequence — until the Aristonauts get wise to their plan and hack into their defenseless minds, that is. Now stranded in a hostile virtual wasteland, Delorean must find his crew and escape back to the waking world.
In a landscape full of immaculately crafted digital sounds, Otaku Punk takes a more deconstructive approach, utilizing old-school music gear like Synth Saxophones and digi-drums to create new sounds by recycling older instruments and samples. In comparison to the last album’s lush, low-key gauze, Otaku Punk features more up-tempo tunes filled with glittery synths, channeling influence from new wave, R&B, and even metal. Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure were all sources of inspiration.
On top of Chisenhall’s own new approaches to songwriting, frequent collaborator Freeman Leverett and recent Delorean Gray addition Jason Bronson are now fixtures in the live band, and as such, their influence on the album is unmistakable, lending Otaku Punk a more expansive and collaborative feel. The album also features guest appearances by Jake Aron of Moloq, Meredith Law of Palm Sunday, and Noah Kittinger of Bedroom.
Escapism has always formed the connective tissue between songwriter Jacob Chisenhall’s music. His last release under the Delorean Gray moniker, Star Tropics, dealt in dreamy sonic reveries, chronicling his protagonist’s interstellar journey to combat the nefarious Aristonauts. Similarly, the bulk of his previous band Fake Flowers’ output — including an unreleased full-length — carved out surreal soundscapes where deep-seeded sorrows and anxieties could go to hide. On his latest album as Delorean Gray, though, the longtime Atlantan sets a course straight for the heart of the struggle, confronting his troubles head-on and shedding the skin of a once apprehensive songwriter. On Otaku Punk, his third release as Delorean Gray, Chisenhall lays bare a tumultuous fallout in his most direct and mature work to date, all wrapped up in the sci-fi sheen of his protagonist’s own adventure.
Otaku Punk was crafted as a contrast piece to Star Tropics, both musically and narratively. The storyline tells of a winter spent in near isolation, mirroring Chisenhall’s own bout with depression, during which he finally came to terms with the dissolution of Fake Flowers. As Delorean and his crew head towards the Aristonaut’s hideout, they enter hibernation chambers to pass the time. Locked into a reality simulation called The Frontier, the team bask in a neon-teamed city devoid of laws and consequence — until the Aristonauts get wise to their plan and hack into their defenseless minds, that is. Now stranded in a hostile virtual wasteland, Delorean must find his crew and escape back to the waking world.
In a landscape full of immaculately crafted digital sounds, Otaku Punk takes a more deconstructive approach, utilizing old-school music gear like Synth Saxophones and digi-drums to create new sounds by recycling older instruments and samples. In comparison to the last album’s lush, low-key gauze, Otaku Punk features more up-tempo tunes filled with glittery synths, channeling influence from new wave, R&B, and even metal. Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure were all sources of inspiration.
On top of Chisenhall’s own new approaches to songwriting, frequent collaborator Freeman Leverett and recent Delorean Gray addition Jason Bronson are now fixtures in the live band, and as such, their influence on the album is unmistakable, lending Otaku Punk a more expansive and collaborative feel. The album also features guest appearances by Jake Aron of Moloq, Meredith Law of Palm Sunday, and Noah Kittinger of Bedroom.