London-based, Birmingham-raised artist Beljune impresses with “Storm,” a memorable track out today that melds melodic alt-pop approachability with personal themes, confronting the silence surrounding men’s mental health. The proudly queer and creatively fearless Beljune channels anxiety, isolation, and emotional overload into a shape-shifting sound that mirrors a mental spiral itself. As the first glimpse of his forthcoming debut EP A BLACK & WHITE FILM, “Storm” has us firmly anticipating that upcoming release.
“Tell me what you want me to do,” a brisk, ghostly vocal feeling emerges as the track gets underway. A hypnotic bass crawl accompanies a debonair vocal lead that ensues, with shades of trip-hop nostalgia apparent in both the lulling vocal immersion and string-laden additions; the strings are beautifully incorporated, lending a cinematic, gorgeously bright entrancement to the moody overall mix.
The track’s second half continues to envelop in its riveting production aspects. The overlapping vocal elements persist with melodic charm throughout, moving seamlessly amidst trickling guitars and glimpses of strings. A solemn vocal tone and more steadily emerging instrumentation then takes hold at the two-minute turn, consuming in its dreamier allure, before a rhythmically inclined, punchy outro with satiating infectiousness. Showing a savvy production with replay-inducing appeal, “Storm” is a stirring overall success from Beljune, who elaborates further on the track:
“I began writing it reflecting on a personal breakdown I had,” he says, “but men account for 3/4 of all UK suicides and I knew it had to open up a bigger conversation. The lyrics ‘men with bravest bones fear the storm alone, fractured in their minds’ speaks to so many of the men I grew up around in Birmingham, raised to be hard-edged, to ‘man up,’ and scared to show vulnerability. But it’s time to soften up hard lads, it’s time to start talking.”
—
This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
