By Jaci Jedrych
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Hailing from Kingston, the vibrant capital city of Jamaica, David Martson and Sarah Couch’s latest release “Uptown Rebel” is the final single released ahead of their upcoming album, Castle With a View.
David Marston and Sarah Couch are DejaVilla, known for their “fluid, sexy, dance-inducing soundscapes.” Friends since youth, the pair spent years traveling and gaining experiences before coming together in 2017 to form DejaVilla. The duo creates music over a long distance now, London and Kingston, but their partnership remains vibrant.
The last teaser single “Uptown Rebel,” featuring reggae-dancehall artist Yaksta, is described as the “embodiment of Jamaica’s abundant culture – dynamic, passionate, and at once historic and new.” They describe the sound as “riddim-tinged electronica” distilled “with worldly future R&B.” The song displays this balance perfectly, bringing warmth yet structure to the tune.
“Essentially, the song re-hashes the age-old tale of forbidden love between two people who come from entirely different or opposing worlds,” explains DejaVilla. “It’s a story akin to Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story.”
With its exploration of socio-economic tropes and the emotional consequences of class division, “Uptown Rebel” is a groovy, liberating protest song.
“There is no denying the sheer power of music – we think music can be a significant and potentially crucial form of protest,” explains Marston. “We strongly believe that music can be harnessed constructively to unite communities, shed light on societal injustices, challenge orthodoxy, and ultimately, propel social change.”
Fans of Lady Alma should check out DejaVilla’s music. Stay tuned for the release of Castle With a View in early 2022.
This track has been added to our Alchemical Weekly YouTube Playlist.
Jaci Jedrych is a World Politics student at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She loves going to concerts and exploring different genres, and has a passion for arts and news writing.
After AFI DOCS’s departure, the capital city once again has a documentary festival.
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
