Henry Blaeser captures the intoxicating swirl of contemporary emotion with his unique single, "Street," a desperate sprint to grasp at what's already moving away. The song unfolds like a striking dash through a busy station, where love and loss trains rattle by after self-understanding trains blast through, never even bothering to break stride. Blaeser's voice, urgent but detached, floats over a pulse that evokes the anxiousness of missing the moment while still wanting to chase after it.
Renowned for his nu-inventive remix work with UK's Low Island, with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs on the one hand, and visually-rich collaborations with Moses Sumney video-maker Josh Finck, on the other, Blaeser's new single represents an exciting progression. "Street" is inspired by a restless internal monologue set to the sound of movement, a taste of the striking universe he's creating with his forthcoming December debut LP, "Whale."
His alternative-pop instincts shine achingly through. The production buzzes with the DNA of UK dance music, interlaced with the melancholic textures of confrontational indie icons. But underneath that flinty surface, there's a melodramatic wit, a smirk at his own sincerity, if you will, that "Street" repeatedly puts to good use in its rare moments of emotional stretch. It's a sound that feels obsessively designed from scratch, yet also all too human.
As the track continues to build, synths blink by like passing streetlights, and Blaeser's words fade away into motion not so much about where we're going as the outlines of running itself. With "Street," Henry Blaeser doesn't so much offer up a song as set the scene for a larger story. If this is the last stop before "Whale," it's an excitement-fanning signal that his following location will be nothing short of thrilling.
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