In today’s age, technology has flooded our lives with content. Caught in the mire are today’s musicians who champion an artform that’s more widely distributed than any other throughout human history. And we, more often than not, overlook the music created by unfamiliar faces because it’s challenging. We’d rather have an easy listen, a known quantity to skim through while we think about something else.
Hearing is easy, but listening is difficult. Welcome to “Why We Like It”, where we rebuke the trends in favor of thoughtful analysis and underknown sounds.
Alden Groves: “Crazy”
Listen On:
How We Found It:
We first came across Boulder, CO artist Alden Groves and his track “Crazy when he submitted the track to us via our portal at SubmitHub last month. “Crazy” was Alden’s first submission and is one of his first releases to follow his debut album FOOL // savior. In his submission message, Alden Groves invoked artists like Aesop Rock, Vince Staples, and BROCKHAMPTON as influences for the track – naturally, we were intrigued.
Why We Like It:
“Dynamic” is the word that comes to mind when thinking about this track. The progression in the chords, drums, bass line, and vocals on “Crazy” define its sonic identity. At times, the song is a calming soundscape for Alden Groves to spill honesty. At others, it’s nearly manic, careening forward as Alden audibly struggles to contain his energy. There’s so much going on at times that you struggle to identify all the different elements combining in your ears – but then, just as quickly as they came, they’re gone, and Alden Groves gives you some fitting advice on the hook: “that shit is too crazy, just ignore it.” This is an ambitious concept for a song, one that could very easily fall apart if the execution is even slightly lacking. Fortunately for us (and Alden) he successfully threaded the needle.
From the Artist:
There’s something about writing and performing vocals that’s more intimate than any other part of my creative process. There’s no technology in the way—it’s just vibing out to the song, and allowing it to write itself through me. My best and most fulfilling ideas express themselves as such. I love producing, mixing, and all the more technical aspects as well, but I think I’m at my most creative when I’m rapping or singing.” – Alden Groves
'