"cause I am haunted by you"
Delilah by Virginia born, L.A. based experimental electronic artist Stephen (aka Stephen Swartz) is dicey and that is what makes it so very interesting. Swartz on his breakout 2015 release Crossfire, and ever since, seems to create his art as a direct form of self discovery and eventual actualization. That can't be said for all musical artists. Swartz's songs are steeped in social and personal commentary and while Crossfire might be an affront to the identity politics of today and addresses that there are complexities, ambiguities in life, of the dark aspects of the human condition. Nothing is really black and white is it?
After a 2016 debut "Sincerely" album, extensive touring and reflection, Stephen took a break. Then a brief stall and heavy critical challenge as he came down with Lyme disease in 2017. A return to music and art with the release of his 2019 EP "It's Too Much Love To Know My Dear" found Stephen purchasing a one-way ticket to Thailand to find things lost, found and maybe lost again but with a renewed thirst, a spiritual voyage of sorts that can sometimes happen easier in uncharted territory.
Deliah is, again, a dicey musical declaration, at least it seems like that to me. It is at the center of Stephen's upcoming album "Akrasia" informed by his personal struggle with drugs, sexuality and expanding sense of self or as Stephen offers:
"Delilah is the name I've given my shadow - my repressed, unrecognized potentials and desires," says Stephen. "She is temptation. She is seduction. The process of getting to know her has been scary and exciting, a deep sense of self-acceptance and power reached through self-annihilation."
Apart from the incredibly curious, avant garde accompanying Official video, directed by Mason Thorne and produced by "Anyhow", 'Delilah' tugs at you like dark stories as mythological as the Bible itself and as immediate as a deadly car crash that you must glance at no matter how hard you try not to. The tactile piano and Stephen's vocal aesthetic that softens and hardens, stands back and rushes forward in a caustic, cathartic choreography of killing emotions, feels like a blood letting. The distortions like an impending storm, the snaps like a gun cocking and the discordant drums like a mental breakdown will stay in your psyche for days.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://sincerelystephen.com/
Virginia-born experimental electronic artist Stephen (aka Stephen Swartz) explores a deeply layered resonance propelled by the concepts of societal issues and personal perception of modern culture. In 2015 the LA-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist released his hit single “Crossfire,” which amassed over 100 million streams. It led to him releasing his 2016 debut LP Sincerely that garnered fan and critical praise from outlets such as TIME, Billboard, Complex, VICE, FADER, KCRW, and Independent. From here Stephen had the privilege of sharing the same stage with BØRNS, Torey Lanez, Griz, and many other artists. This effectively set things in motion for Stephen’s wide-ranging vision for global and political change through a penchant for numerous genres, thematic narratives, and a profound intimacy often absent within modern electronic music.
After touring behind the triumph of Sincerely, Stephen suddenly had to take a break from music. In 2017, he was stricken with Lyme disease that set him back a year as he went through a massive crisis of life-changing experiences. After returning in early 2019 with the release of his EP It's Too Much Love To Know My Dear, Stephen bought a one-way ticket to Thailand to reconnect with himself. In his search for self-empowerment, he remembered what it was like to be adventurous and curious while exploring uncharted territories. This significant experience, channeled by the peaks and valleys of life’s unexpected contributions, had Stephen on a spiritual voyage to a higher degree. For a moment he lost himself, wrapped up in the beauty of the unknown, and returning with inspiration to travel down another road.
Now in 2020, Stephen is ready to shed old skin and connect with people beyond the power of just music. His upcoming music comes from an honest yet vulnerable place and is shaping up to be unlike anything he’s made in the past. Stephen’s rejuvenated desire to create music and the purpose behind it has altered course. At this rate, however, Stephen is just ready to be himself again.
Virginia-born experimental electronic artist Stephen (aka Stephen Swartz) explores a deeply layered resonance propelled by the concepts of societal issues and personal perception of modern culture. In 2015 the LA-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist released his hit single “Crossfire,” which amassed over 100 million streams. It led to him releasing his 2016 debut LP Sincerely that garnered fan and critical praise from outlets such as TIME, Billboard, Complex, VICE, FADER, KCRW, and Independent. From here Stephen had the privilege of sharing the same stage with BØRNS, Torey Lanez, Griz, and many other artists. This effectively set things in motion for Stephen’s wide-ranging vision for global and political change through a penchant for numerous genres, thematic narratives, and a profound intimacy often absent within modern electronic music.
After touring behind the triumph of Sincerely, Stephen suddenly had to take a break from music. In 2017, he was stricken with Lyme disease that set him back a year as he went through a massive crisis of life-changing experiences. After returning in early 2019 with the release of his EP It's Too Much Love To Know My Dear, Stephen bought a one-way ticket to Thailand to reconnect with himself. In his search for self-empowerment, he remembered what it was like to be adventurous and curious while exploring uncharted territories. This significant experience, channeled by the peaks and valleys of life’s unexpected contributions, had Stephen on a spiritual voyage to a higher degree. For a moment he lost himself, wrapped up in the beauty of the unknown, and returning with inspiration to travel down another road.
Now in 2020, Stephen is ready to shed old skin and connect with people beyond the power of just music. His upcoming music comes from an honest yet vulnerable place and is shaping up to be unlike anything he’s made in the past. Stephen’s rejuvenated desire to create music and the purpose behind it has altered course. At this rate, however, Stephen is just ready to be himself again.
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