New York, NY (Top40 Charts) August 26th saw an outpour of candour from Norway's hottest up-and-coming solo artist, Denim Blue, after the release of his emotionally cohesive EP, Vacation Blues.
The six-track EP runs through as an addictive amalgam of indie rock, bedroom pop and hip hop. While the instrumentals fuel the dopamine that the lyrics lament the lack of, Denim Blue ventured into unchartered emotional territory while asserting that vulnerability should be a source of growth and empowerment instead of shame.
Track 1,
Brand New, exhibits the singer-songwriter's addictively raw vocal timbre as it contrasts the angular jangle-pop melodies before Tear Me Down shifts into indie art pop melancholy.
Track 3, Field of Dreams, juxtaposes Slowdive-Esque guitars with fiery rock vocals before track 4, Down, drifts in as a hazy synth-pop outpour of ardent emotion. Track 5, Waste My Time, fills the soundscape with colourful, melodious popping melodies as the anger exacerbates in Denim Blue's poetically scorned hip hop meets pop canter before the EP concludes on Bloom, which utilises saturated tape delay to reflect the jarring dissonance that affection can impart.
Denim Blue said: "Vacation Blues is a short but open story. There are a few ways to interpret it as it grows darker with different stages of losing hope, love, will and identity. At the end of the EP, there's a realisation, but it's a cyclical story; the first and last tracks have the same vocal hook with different meanings.
It is about struggling to move on, whether from heartbreak, addiction, mental health, or any other personal matter; it is up to you to decide, as the listener. I wanted it to feel familiar, almost like the inner voice that tries to speak up."
Amelia Vandergast, the Executive Editor at A&R Factory said: "Inner turmoil is always a field of landmines, but never has it been filled with so many efficacious hooks. Vacation Blues stands as a testament to Denim Blue's ability to capture the confusion within the human condition while sending you deep into a state of sonic beguile."
Denim Blue is the current moniker of the luminary Bryne, Norway-hailing artist and songwriter who goes by numerous names; with this project, he has been keen to traverse the mental abysses that no one is impervious to.
His music fascination started in the realms of rap and hip hop. Eminem, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop, Lil Wayne, and
Outkast were responsible for the early spark that led him to writing songs for as long as he can remember. Aged 17, he acquired his first microphone and began to record every day in his bedroom. Around this time, his music taste started to broaden, and he started picking up influence from an expanse of artists from all genres.
His debut single, Diamonds, hit the airwaves in 2021 and was shortly followed by his dark concept album, Blue World. After delivering a string of successful singles, Denim Blue unleashed his EP Vacation Blues on August 26th, 2022.
open.spotify.com/album/3tmnny7WYOHZz8sepwBOoL
www.instagram.com/denim__blue/?hl=en
soundcloud.com/user-891308211
www.youtube.com/channel/UCC_BLKD4sKtCecS3QGg23Nw/featured
music.apple.com/no/artist/denim-blue/1576253155
tidal.com/browse/artist/26947868
