New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Emerging artist
Aaron Taos' Overcast produced video for his song, "Amnesia," featuring Saiah premieres. The track appears on the deluxe reissue of his 2019 debut album, Birthday Boy, which is out now. "I had just finished the mix for 'Amnesia' and then I had heard Saiah's track '(BLACK)PLANET' on Spotify's Lorem playlist. I knew he'd be absolutely perfect on it so I DM'd him on Insta and sent him the song and he was down. I had been a huge fan of what Overcast had done for Saiah's video for '(BLACK)PLANET' as well as their stuff for Brakence and so I sent them the song as well. They loved it and within the month I was on a plane to
Phoenix to shoot it with them. Inspired by a 70's punk vibe, the video follows me around on a road trip with some fun characters, including cameos from Saiah and our friend PapichuloTeej. Working with Overcast was super fun and easy, they have a really talented team all living in one house out in the desert. It was a really invigorating and inspiring experience," notes Taos.
Birthday Boy was born out of introspection. It was written at a time when Taos was in a rut: he was uninspired with music, broke and had just moved back in with his parents. After a year of going through the NYC/LA songwriting session gauntlet for the first time, Taos had little to show for it and felt as if he was losing his passion for music. This frustration manifested into anxiety and depression, all of which came to a peak on his birthday of that year, July 11. Taos channeled that sadness and frustration into his songwriting, which consequently lead him to create his debut album.
"I always explain Birthday Boy as a semi-concept album about the milestone of a birthday and the introspection that comes with it," Taos notes. "For me, birthdays are a day to stop and reflect, to go over the previous year and evaluate if I am headed in the right direction. It's a very personal day. With that theme in mind, I recorded and produced the album completely myself. I wrote every word. I don't say that in boast, I just say that to highlight it is very near and dear to my heart. It was a laborious process. It was a learning experience. Above all it was a solitary journey."
He continues, "Now in 2020, I'm at a very different place in my life and I want to bring others in the fold. With Birthday Boy (Party Favors) I invited a bunch of artists I love to give a bit of their energy to these tracks and breathe new life into them. I'm also releasing some brand-new ones as well that fit the mold of the original album. The guy standing on the dock alone with a green cloud over his head is no more. Now it's time to invite others to the party."
Taos is a LA-based, New Haven-bred indie pop artist. Spending his teenage years with aspirations of a professional soccer career, Taos quit the sport halfway through college when music became his full-time obsession. After spending many late nights teaching himself how to produce on Vassar College's computer equipment, Taos took this passion to Brooklyn after graduation, eventually culminating in his first EP, GUITS.
In June 2018, he released his sophomore EP Night Thoughts and spent the summer on tour opening for King Princess. Taos' hit single "
Control" from Birthday Boy appeared in NBA 2K20 and went viral on TikTok during the first few months of quarantine. Blending indie influences of
Arctic Monkeys and
Tame Impala with more modern pop grooves and melodies, Taos' sound is a fresh approach to the alternative pop music sphere.
