NEWS
Dempsey Bolton has released his new single 'Arizona', the last of 3 singles leading up to his sophomore album release later this summer.
'Arizona' is an energetic bop loaded with sunny harmonies, big drums and a gritty bassline, all working together to deliver the perfect song for summer. Dempsey reflects on days of youth gone by, longing for the carefree times of yesteryear. The large choir of vocals gives the track a nostalgic feel with the lyrics setting the scene of lost time.
He says on the track,
“I often reflect on a trip I had to Arizona and how little I had to care or worry about back then. It seems like as I get older my problems get broader and higher stakes. The song is really an ode or a nod to days gone by. I think it’s also me recognizing that as time goes on, my perception of youth changes and I’m left with a dichotomy to deal with of still feeling like a teenager but at the same time, knowing I have some much more to lose now. I ended up writing this line: 'Call me existential but you know that I’m right, We will never get a chance to live that mulligan life. Our days of Arizona are just pictures on the walls of my head' And to me, it perfectly encapsulates the entire song; wishing you could go back to a time where all your concerns were floating in the pool in front of you but having enough maturity to know that you can’t. And even if I was given that choice, knowing what I know now, I’m not sure I could. In terms of production, I played the chords on an acoustic sitting in my studio one day and the whole song poured out of me. One of those rare instances where writing was really easy. I put the bassline on top and distorted the fk out of it and that made the basis for the whole track. The vocal stacks gave it a little bit of a nostalgic feel and I liked that you couldn’t really pick out one vocal even though there are 20-30 present at times.”
Dempsey’s music is influenced by his modern-day heroes such as Zanski, Dominic Fike and Jack Garratt as well as the legends he grew up with, namely Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Originally very interested in lush, dark and brooding productions and drawing inspiration from other works of art via painter Mark Rothko and writer Philip K. Dick, Dempsey has recently discovered a fascination with simplicity. His current direction is aimed towards eliciting emotion and creating vibe with sparser arrangements, letting the complexity lie in the writing and the harmony.
Dempsey is currently working on his sophomore album set to release in July 2023, a self-produced project that starkly contrasts the lyrics and music; the album deals with the dangers of staying silent while in crisis and letting one’s mental health go unchecked while delivering upbeat, nostalgic, summery vibes in its production.
'Arizona' is out now. Listen HERE @dempsey_bolton
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