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Some tunes are places you can go. Some feel like memories. James Tonic’s “At The Time In New York” is a single that somehow manages to be both. The lead song from his next album, "Safety II", “At The Time In New York,” has the feeling of a late-night drive along streets you’ve never been down, expressing the peculiar beauty and silent bewilderment of being swallowed up by a metropolis bigger than oneself. The track is built on a pounding synth bass and enveloped in dramatic, widescreen production, creating an atmosphere that feels enormous while being intimately personal.
What’s interesting about the tune is the balance between the scale and intimacy. The production's vast soundscapes and dreamlike depth stretch out beyond the horizon, but the emotional core is intimate and accessible. There is a momentum through the music, but it never rushes. Instead, it lets you get lost in its slow smoldering atmosphere, with new things to discover each time you listen.
Drawing inspiration from the same emotional terrain that has seen musicians like Cigarettes After Sex, Lana Del Rey, and The 1975 gather a global following, James Tonic discovers a sound that is uniquely his own. Hooks come in organically, a part of the fabric of the song, not fighting against it, making the tune just as at home on dream pop playlists, alternative radio rotation, or in sync placements throughout film and television.
“At The Time In New York” is a great primer on "Safety II" and a reminder that some of the most moving songs are those that loiter between actuality and contemplation. The latest CD by James Tonic is immersive, striking, and emotionally complex, drawing listeners into a realm that seems both enormous and intimately personal.Follow on Instagram and Facebook