evan^patrick, an emerging Brooklyn-based musician and producer of ambient electro-indie-pop, drops his second EP, dusk will burn the palms, today. Mixing elements of prog-rock, contemporary R&B, and synth-pop with hushed vocals, melancholy synths, and wailing guitars, the six-track EP evokes a soundtrack to a lost 1980s noir thriller. And Fourculture is proud to premiere both, the EP and the music video for the single, “there’s hope, but not for us.”
A home-producer of “contemporary neon noir,” evan^patrick finds inspiration in classic acts like Prince and Tears for Fears, as well as films and writers that explore dystopia and discontent. It was on a visit to Las Vegas in 2014 that he was struck by the way stark landscape, shimmering artifice, natural beauty, sleaze, and decayed nostalgia all co-existed; he was captivated by the juxtaposition of these disparate elements. And while enjoying vodka dinners and late afternoons in the dunes, he started to outline the ideas that eventually became dusk will burn the palms.
The EP is a sleek sonic journey of breathy vocals, ambient synths, and syncopated beats offset by flourishes of electric guitar and bursts of discordant distortion. Each of the six tracks is a sonic and lyrical exploration of the dissonance in our everyday world. Opening track “Her Solitude” is a chill, atmospheric song that layers keyboard and vocals with a great bass line and minimal percussion, then throws in a burst of intense electric guitar at the end. “Red Neon in Dark Waters” is an awesome track with a funky beat, restrained tempo, and repetitive phrasing that builds to an explosion of pulsing sound and psychedelic flourishes of electric guitar. And “Blue” is a restrained, stripped-back track of airy vocals and keyboard that explores the complex topic of love.
https://vimeo.com/141126263
The music video for closing track, “there’s hope, but not for us,” is a series of grandiose set pieces inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Fellini, and Mad Max. The video was shot in visually rich locations including The Neon Sign Graveyard in Las Vegas and the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and perfectly reflects both the desolate feeling at the track’s beginning and the discordant cacophony of sound and imagery that it becomes.
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