A hypnotic soundscape with tender guitars and illuminated synths propel “Big Apple, 3am,” a dreamy pop delight from Special World, the project of Philadelphia-based artist Andy Molholt. Featuring Izzy Reidy on bass and Eric Slick on drums, the track excels in its lushly immersive sound — bridging twangy guitar wooziness, glistening synth nostalgia, and hooky vocal progressions. “What are you waiting for?” a more playful vocal presence asks, following a deeper initial introspection. Wordless vocal harmonies prance thereafter, as the huskier vocal re-emergence pleads to “take a moment to reflect on the evidence.” “Big Apple, 3am” is a stellar success from Special World.
Molholt, who is also known as the guitarist of Speedy Ortiz, elaborates further on the track:
“I wrote the initial idea for Big Apple, 3am using the auto-chord function of my favorite Yamaha Portasound keyboard way back in May 2009. This was the era of my first Philadelphia band the Armchairs. The chords and melody were there, but that’s where it sat for 16 years, unfinished and on the shelf. It’s been very interesting to me as an artist to revisit the formative years of my life as a songwriter, reworking my early songs into something new. It’s an extremely fun & rewarding exercise, and I highly recommend it.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
