Psychopath, the latest from NOT A BOYS NAME, sounds like a long-lost MGMT cut with its eccentric, homemade pop production.
We’ve been stans of NOT A BOYS NAME for years. His blend of off-kilter truisms and synth pop creates a remarkably entertaining listening experience. NOT A BOYS NAME has performed for Happy Mag at Live At Enmore, featured in our UMAMI remix compilation, and rocketed into the list of finalists for our annual vinyl competition, Needle In The Hay.
If you haven’t experienced the sharp flavour of NOT A BOYS NAME, here’s the quick catchup. NABN is the moniker and alter ego of Sydney producer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Jenkins Jnr. His love of psychedelic pop and DIY recording has culminated into a catalogue of considered chaos.
The artist is back with a new track, and today we’re stoked to share it with you. It’s called Psychopath, and it’s as manic as you’d expect.
Psychopath opens with dark synths only to cascade into a bouncy electric riff. “I wanna help you relax, but you just wanna get rid of me”, he sings over it, listing off the subject’s toxic traits, one by one.
The tale of the psychopath in question is based on an unpleasant experience Jenkins had with an acquaintance he was working with. The ‘psychopath’ almost made him quit the music scene. “It was not until I got some perspective and spent time away with my friends that I was able to realise that I was being manipulated”, he quips, regarding the single.
Still, Psychopath is an undeniably upbeat dance tune. The thick bass and staccato vocal delivery in the chorus are so damn solid you’ll be grooving yourself into a liberated state. Talking Heads and early MGMT are a good reference point.
Elsewhere, NOT A BOYS NAME recently appeared in Happy Mag’s UMAMI remix compilation, giving our readers his take on Annie Hamilton’s Panic. Find out how he put it all together in the video below.
Psychopath is out now. Stream or purchase the track here.
