By Charlie Maybee
As a dance-music based artist, it’s always a pleasure to write about other musicians who are also dancers like the Philadelphia based dream pop musician, James the Seventh. With her new single “Future Memories”, she addresses her struggles with an eating disorder from her tenure as a full-time ballet dancer and how these past struggles have made her stronger and optimistic for a brighter future.
From the get-go, you can feel the ethereal vibes seeping from every sustained note of the guitar and piano. As a track that was self-produced, it feels very personal and lush as it creates a space for deep feeling and listening – hallmarks of a dancer’s craft. Her vocals swell and soar through the chorus as she sings, “These future memories are my remedy / These future memories will heal what’s left of me”.
The chord progression has a level of grandeur that feels paradoxically melancholy and epic. It’s reminiscent of the Radiohead classic “Creep” in its subtlety, and while there is plenty of moments that feel dark and weighted there is a clear sense of optimism that persists in the lyrics.
Whether you are looking for chilling harmonies, hopeful narratives of perseverance, or sounds influenced by alt-pop titans like Billie Eillish or Lana del Ray, this is a must-play track for anyone who needs to feel something real. Let it engulf you and take you to a place where troubles wash away into luxurious beads of water slowly cascading across your body.
“Future Memories” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud. Find this and other great music on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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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.
