patchmarks has delivered an empowering message with ‘naive’, an emo-pop fusion that marks the NSW musician’s sophomore single.
Coasting on quirky rhythms and drawing upon a diverse sonic palette, the track sees the multi-instrumentalist and producer — the proto-solo project of Alumi Emera — muse on a negative experience that changed them for the better.
‘naive’ immediately establishes its infectious off-kilter sound with a choppy tempo set against punkish melodies, at once feeling like both garage-bound grunge and glittery bedroom pop.
This resistance to conform to any one sound remains a throughline across the entire track, as patchmarks delivers everything from classic rock and roll riffs to sneering pop punk vocals and sunlit fuzzy guitar melodies.
It makes for a consistently engaging listen, with patchmarks providing something that catches the ear at every moment.
The rhythm changes on a dime, and so too does patchmarks’ vocal range, flitting between echoey vocoder distortion to the kind of yearning timbre you could imagine a protagonist delivering in an aughties teen movie.
There’s a confidence to patchmarks’ sound, which remains sure of itself even as it forgoes traditional songwriting rules.
The carefree production is mirrored in the lyrics, which trace patchmarks as they reflect on a negative experience that ultimately spurred them towards growth. “This is draining me,” patchmarks croons, “I struggle to bare my insides, my soul is tired.”
By the song’s end, patchmarks has reached a moment of realisation, declaring with infectious confidence that they’re “tired of being naive” and “grazing my knees.”
Speaking of ‘naive’ in a press statement, patchmarks said the single is “a self-realisation that we’re always growing… there’s plenty more life left to live and some things can come by that push you in ways you felt weren’t possible.”
This interplay between necessary growth and the turbulent times that create it is reflected in the song’s production, as patchmarks transitions from moments of seeming vexation to pure relief.
It’s fitting that such heady themes are soundtracked by equally complex sounds, and patchmarks seems best poised to distil life’s uncertainty into the context of a kaleidoscopic single.
Alongside patchmarks, Alumi Emera further refines their artistry with other music projects like Vaporplaid, OSHIE and CutewhenDead, as well as a busking and street performing career.
Listen to patchmarks’ new single ‘naive’ below.
