By Charlie Maybee
Las Vegas based electro pop, Zack Gray, is taking a stand with his new single “Never Get Like You” which comes fresh off his new EP What It Used To Be. With ethereal vocals and synthesizers, this is pop music at its most cinematic as it swells to infinity before dropping into a full-steam-ahead drumbeat.
“As stubborn as you were, I tried” Gray sings in the second verse, “It started like a wave then swallowed us whole”. There’s an implication that the person he’s singing about was a friend (or at least an acquaintance) at some point in the past, but things have turned for the worst. It’s unclear if the person was unable or unwilling to change, and Gray clearly has clearly had enough of whatever behavior has manifested and festered as he darkly proclaims “So weary now / I know I’m better when you’re not around / Never get like you”.
The song feels like a roller coaster modulating between the slow uphill climbs in tension followed by significant drops and increased velocity – giving us a sense of sonic gravity that is exhilarating. In many ways this song is a masterclass in demonstrating the lasting effect of EDM and dubstep beat drops that hit like a freight train, so strap in and get ready because it’s a thrill ride in under 4 minutes.
“Never Get Like You” and What It Used To Be are available on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and is available below as well as 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.
