After being inspired by Roger Phelps laptop demos whilst quarantining in Ohio, Joel Henry Blaeser joined Phelps in forming their new duo .boy, and we’re delighted to be able to premiere their latest single Arrival | Departure right here in Backseat Mafia today.
The follow up to their much admired debut August, the pair told us a little the new track, “As we’re exploring our sound and honing in our craft as a band, we’re not sticking to one methodology when writing. “Arrival | Departure” is our second release ever and it’s a special one. It started out as an instrumental Joel cooked up on a cold November morning and when he sent it over during a sort of, “Hey, this is what I’ve been creating” type conversation, I immediately clicked with it and felt it demanded some pop vocal treatment. I wanted to see this become a song of ours! I had started writing a poem separately and the words/cadence just seemed to fit the emotion of the instrumental. We then tweaked some production aspects and lyrics a little bit to form what it is today. The lyrical side of the tune, for me, reflects on a relationship where we just couldn’t crack the code to a successful partnership – hence the “I lift you up and I lift you down” and “you kick me up and you kick me down”. There were so many one step forwards and two steps backwards moments. The “osprey” is a powerful and majestic creature that represents my partner at the time.”
Intimate, almost claustrophobic at times, Arrival | Departure is built on quietly bubbling synth lines and and electronic hue, and has this wistful melancholy at its core. Synth lines swoon and prod at your heartstrings as it continues to play on its emotive nature and yours, and it leaves you with a yearning to listen again.
Check it out, here
