"I can’t get out of my head / Cause this pain keeps me in bed / You always get ahead / You’re so lucky, it should be me instead..."
The wistful beauty of "Couldn't Be Me" by L.A. based Harmless has some 90's postpunk, goth pop touchstones like if the Cure weren't so dark. That being said, the track carries it's own bittersweet back story running against the skipping beat, crystalline synths, pretty guitar strums and it's dreamy, pretty vocal countenance. Harmless, aka Los Angeles-based, Mexico City-born songwriter/producer Nacho Cano had truly dark times, almost a decade of recuperation that diverted from his artful life from his 2012 Harmless album "I'm Sure" to the new album "Springs Eternal" set to drop on March 29th, 2024.
From Press Notes:
[The almost decade-long gap was not intentional; instead, it was a result of almost being killed by a drunk driver in a hit-and-run crime while he was biking to work, the surgery to rebuild his spine and face, the long recovery that left him bedridden for a year, the court case that followed, and to top it off, the pandemic.]
[The almost decade-long gap was not intentional; instead, it was a result of almost being killed by a drunk driver in a hit-and-run crime while he was biking to work, the surgery to rebuild his spine and face, the long recovery that left him bedridden for a year, the court case that followed, and to top it off, the pandemic.]
While an event like this cannot help but be expressed throughout "Springs Eternal", the track "Couldn't Be Me" might be the most direct sonic scar.
Nacho explains, “This might have been the hardest song to make in this entire record. I was essentially trying to tell my younger self about how we’ve ended up disabled and the consequences of it in our daily life. These feelings are reflected in my social and professional experiences and are intensified while on tour. It used to be our great dream to tour the country, and now I see it as a horrible nightmare because of the physical pain caused by my disabilities. At the end of every tour, I return home and spend days in bed to recuperate from doing something I love. I am connected to myself the most when I'm on stage, but I struggle knowing the pain I’ll suffer for doing it. It especially pains me because I’ve had to cut tours short to be mindful of my body. It’s hard not to look at your friends, in music and outside of it, and not feel jealous of their physical well-being. They’ve never had to fight death. I wish I were them.”
A section of the lyrics:
You make it look so easy
You love your life completely
I wish I was you
I wish I was you
You always get ahead
You’re so lucky, to never fight death
You make it look so easy
You love your life completely
I wish I was you
I wish I was you
You love your life completely
I wish I was you
I wish I was you
You always get ahead
You’re so lucky, to never fight death
You make it look so easy
You love your life completely
I wish I was you
I wish I was you
I cannot imagine the impact of such an unexpected ordeal. A violent reminder how suddenly life can change us in an instant and how tenuous life itself is. They say things like this are a hidden gift and while I would never say such a thing, I suppose saying so is a testament to how resilient us humans are or can be.
I reported on another one of Nacho's songs, "Harmless" from the upcoming album which I hope you check out here:
I hope you check it out!
-Robb Donker Curtius
Hello: Anyone enjoying this read and American Pancake, end of year is always a more difficult time in terms of finances. If you can help out by contributing to our Go Fund Me below it would be super appreciated. Cheers Robb
https://www.instagram.com/yosoyharmless/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dYGaoCO0iaUZKfl9K8Gtd
Nacho Cano was born in Mexico City, and now resides in Los Angeles. The songwriter/producer has released musical projects under the name Twin Cabins, Canito and, currently, Harmless. Immigrating to San Diego at ten years old, Cano used hip hop to expand the English he was learning to speak.
"Twin Cabins was done from my college dorm bedroom in an effort to make the music that I liked as well as a way to tell one of my crushes I liked them," says Cano. Canito is an extension of Cano's impeccable production work, "Sampling hip hop heavily influenced my process and how I make music. Canito is a reflection of that. It's an exercise that allows me to be a part of a genre that helped me feel American." Harmless is a colorful mix of emotions woven seamlessly with bright electronic synths, smooth vocals and the occasional playful saxophone. “Harmless translates the hopeless love I know from Mexico. Songs about impossible love, boleros in English.”
Hello: Anyone enjoying this read and American Pancake, end of year is always a more difficult time in terms of finances. If you can help out by contributing to our Go Fund Me below it would be super appreciated. Cheers Robb
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/yosoyharmless/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dYGaoCO0iaUZKfl9K8Gtd
Nacho Cano was born in Mexico City, and now resides in Los Angeles. The songwriter/producer has released musical projects under the name Twin Cabins, Canito and, currently, Harmless. Immigrating to San Diego at ten years old, Cano used hip hop to expand the English he was learning to speak.
"Twin Cabins was done from my college dorm bedroom in an effort to make the music that I liked as well as a way to tell one of my crushes I liked them," says Cano. Canito is an extension of Cano's impeccable production work, "Sampling hip hop heavily influenced my process and how I make music. Canito is a reflection of that. It's an exercise that allows me to be a part of a genre that helped me feel American." Harmless is a colorful mix of emotions woven seamlessly with bright electronic synths, smooth vocals and the occasional playful saxophone. “Harmless translates the hopeless love I know from Mexico. Songs about impossible love, boleros in English.”
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