In his new EP, the emotive ‘Vacation Blues’, Norway-residing bedroom pop artist Denim Blue has torn off the façade and looked deep into the heart of dissonance. A release that strips away the gloss and glamour, the new EP is a raw journey through loss and recovery built into six raw and unassuming tracks that will have instantly inspired.
A testament to Denim Blue’s ability to capture the confusion and tragedy that lies within the human condition, the new EP is everything we had been promised and more, capitalising on sonic earworms and proud hooks to give life and a voice to Denim Blue’s struggles. Tracks like ‘Brand New’ shine with melodic indie-pop blessings, while ‘Tear Me Down’ and ‘Field of Dreams’ work perfectly to blur the lines between stripped-back production, art pop serenades, and Denim Blue’s signature rough and relatable vocals.
Elsewhere, ‘Waste My Time’ exhibits the best of Denim Blue’s lyrical power before the concluding single, ‘Bloom’ takes hold, offering a warm saturated delay that expands beautifully. Putting context to the release, Denim Blue explained, “’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 is a realisation, but it is a cyclical story; the first and last tracks have the same vocal hook with different meanings.”
They continued, “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.”
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.
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