Melbourne artist The Gaze (Sam Cremean) has been dripping tracks from his Sociable EP throughout the year, and now it’s finally here in all it’s shimmering dark-pop glory. Teaming up with a few different online collaborators, this singer-songwriter has delivered a truly polished debut EP.
He tackles gay hook up and social media culture in a way that that seeps into your bones through his sultry, RnB-shined pop and seductive melodic licks. With production that’s polished smooth as glass, this EP is a truly alluring listen.
Sociable by The Gaze tackles self-reflective themes of queer and digital culture with his deceptively intoxicating dark-pop and catchy melodic licks.
Selfish Love is the obvious opener for the EP, a loud pop number full to the brim with textured beats, catchy refrains and a boppy baseline; a perfect taste of his intoxicating sound. Cremean’s honey-heavy vocals glide like silk over the bouncy track, deceptively sweet considering the themes of sexual consumerism in gay youth culture that he’s actually singing about.
This is a theme that continues throughout the EP, and Cremean has an uncanny ability to poke at the digital age we find ourselves in without being cringeworthy or preachy. OMW (feat. Internet Boyfriend) is a tongue-in-cheek track with biting lyrics such as the genius of “insta gratification like instagram a vacation”.
We last premiered Nobody (feat. Yokelust), the “smooth, sultry and completely irresistible” middle track on the album, layered thick with dark woozy synths, sparkly broken chords and slick beats. Even though it’s half way way through, this one’s definitely not to be lost in the streaming.
Sometimes EPs have a tendency to fade out in the last few tracks. Not Sociable. The previously unheard fourth track, Bad Influencer, plays like a smooth-as-silk RnB song. Hypnotic tumbling synths, collaged samples and full-bodied beats hold space for Cremean to showcase a raspier, softer side to his vocal abilities.
And he finishes it all off with the slinky, electronic sounds of Karaoke. A liquid electronica, this track features an addictive “stop-start” rhythmic hook, muted percussion and floating guitar riffs in a glittery, dense Rnb-pop.
Now we’ve got the full five tracks he’s been teasing, immerse yourself in the shimmery, dripping dark-pop sounds of The Gaze.
A live launch of the EP will take place at The Tote, Collingwood at 8pm with local pop duo The Marion Cranes, Yokelust and DJs, Br00klyn Queenz.
