‘Dancing is to art what rape is to romance’… Jeez.
Records is the new single from Sydney singer and producer Paul Conrad and man, does he come in with a bang. Navigating the divide between pop ideals and deadpan realism, Conrad makes dark electronica, blending an analogue aesthetic with hip-hop rigidity. But what is most alluring is his nasal drawl and razor sharp tongue that might be better off in politics rather than music.
Self-described as the male Lana Del Ray, Conrad has been meticulously working out his sound for more than two years now. Rigorously trained in the bassoon, clarinet, and piano, as well as bering a seasoned rock ‘n’ roller, Records is Conrad’s first foray into the world of electronica with its collection of woozy analogue synthesisers, samples and scattered percussion. The track weighs heavy on the chest through the first verse as Conrad’s filtered vocals croon vicious lashes about the state of modern music as art. His lyrical prowess is apparent from the get-go. Conrad balances darkly poignant opinions with age-old cliches about things like teaching ‘old dogs news tricks’. The technique is clever because for all it’s darkness and resentment, Records is never inaccessible.
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Records, in essence, is a pop track. Despite its toxicity, it’s catchy as hell and ticks all the right boxes for a good pop song. Lyrics that gravitate around the hook like ‘take the records off the wall/take them down and burn them all’ stick in your head, and the anthemic climax of ‘we could sing along/when you’re dead and gone’ would go down just as well at a festival as it does rolling around your head.
The track is Conrad’s first to be released on legendary Sydney label Dew Process who have been killing it recently, nabbing up the likes of Little May and Tkay Maidza. Conrad seems like a slightly more off-kilter choice for the label but it’s easy to see why they have snatched him up before anyone someone else did. Sifting through cyber-space for information on Conrad, you will find that he is just a normal dude, albeit with a slightly skewed sense of humour. His music might be dark and heavy, but he’s only saying things that we are all thinking, the only difference is he’s skilled enough to make it all mean something.
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