1 day ago
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The isolation in which “oblivion 2025” was written is made instantly apparent in the opening lines: “I need some rest / so hide me underground”. But these words searching for solitude are not reflected in the sound of the track.
It is immediate and unrelenting, combining various styles uncommonly found together, and Delemard wears his inspirations on his sleeve. The track, he says, is “a mix between three things but things that are not usually mixed together. An indie-folk thing like Elliot Smith but also like Linkin Park which is not the same thing at all, and maybe more PC Music stuff, like French artist Oklou.”
What makes the project so exciting is this combination of styles. “oblivion 2025” performs its duty as a lead single well, but refuses to adhere to the classic structure of an alternative rock song. Betraying these rules was important to Delemard: “It was the first tune I wrote without the verse-chorus thing. I’m very tired of the basic verse-chorus structure of pop music. I thought it was catchy enough but odd enough to be a single.”
The song was the first thing Delemard wrote for the solo project, giving him the confidence to strike out on his own. “My girlfriend always told me that you should do your own thing,” he says. “You should do your own thing but I never had the guts to do it and I was very shy about it. I made this song and in my head I thought ‘let's do it really quickly’. I wrote the whole EP in two to three weeks.”
After gaining recognition with his band Hoorsees in the UK and US, a solo project is a brave decision at this stage. But the songs are strong enough to merit the choice and the project is interesting and dynamic enough to prevent comparisons being drawn with Horsees. There is a bedroom pop feel to many of the tracks leaving no illusion of a live band having been involved: “I never used live drumming in this project, I only used samples. At first with the engineer I had a discussion about it but he said no, leave it like it is, you don't need a real drummer. I was afraid it would change it too much and sound less industrial with real drums.”
But it is a decision that does not leave the sonic scale of the project wanting. The synths are vast and immediate, evoking artists like M83 and The Weeknd. The electronic element was the root inside the project for Delemard. On “oblivion 2025”, “It started with the electronic riff and then over that I created some folk arpeggios”.
The combination of these genres is what makes the project so interesting and fantastically listenable. With each return new elements reveal themselves and reward an engaged ear. Plans going forward remain a little unclear at this stage, however Delemard hopes to perform these songs live: “Yeah, it’s on the cards. I’m currently working on it with a friend. It will be a duo with a drum machine. I don’t want to make a standard folk live thing. I don’t want to hide that there is a computer on it. I have a few propositions but I’m quite specific about it. I have an idea in mind but I want to do it well and I’m not in a rush.”
Whilst there is no rush, it is exciting to imagine how these electro-folk soundscapes will be realised on stage. If they remain true to the quality of the project then there is much to look forward to.
English (US) · 