A beautiful orchestral-laden pop charm flows throughout “Living in Dadeland,” a track from Michael Cohen. Coming via an upcoming album of the same name, “Living in Dadeland” quickly compels with warming acoustic strums, suave guitar twangs, and heartfelt strings — traversing into an approachably melodic vocal delivery: “There you are, living in Dadeland / Half a life away from where you want to be, too real for make believe.”
Shades of The Kinks show in the caressing strings, piano, and harmonious vocals — while a hint of Jens Lekman, as well, in the “heard they got some great apartments there” hopeful commentary, into a grimmer realization: “Life’s a shopping mall filled up with empty stuff / Too much is not enough.” The track excels in its melodic, comforting introspections and baroque-pop allure.
The titular location refers to a post-pandemic Miami, with the track officially titled “Prelude North: Living in Dadeland.” The album itself was inspired by a period after Cohen moved from pandemic-era Washington, D.C. to Miami, Florida, where experiences of “love, loss, and the fragile beauty of redemption” went on to influence the album.
“Writing and recording ‘Living in Dadeland’ was like a daunting trek up that mountain, visiting all the dark crevices along the way,” Cohen explains. “Whenever I was tempted to give up, I just felt compelled to keep working, to keep climbing. The songs on the album are like that final bellow from the heart.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
