DEGRAY - BURNING ME WITHIN
Barcelona, Spain
Degray is a multifaceted music producer and artist currently based in Barcelona, Spain. Blurring boundaries and drawing inspiration from Hip-Hop, Rock, electronic music and everything in-between. His productions are recognised by their melodic soundscapes and heavy drums along with a distinctive lyrical writing style used to create a unique genre bending sound. Letting us know that both of these songs were created during a period of confinement and reflection we wanted to assess the contents of this EP.
The title track 'Burning Me Within' opens with a catchy melodic electronic synth shortly before being joined by claps to give a fuller sound. Vocals of a haunting Eastern-sounding influence emerge which are full of reverb. This sets us up for a moody but meaningful production! This track is very dark and uneasy but in a sexy way. The vocals are performed by a female vocalist who has a real knack for identifying and articulating their sound in this track. The video (as found at the bottom of this page) opens with a car burning in flames in the darkness, something which really captures the narrative of this production. We then see the backs of a group of people running towards the car who are later seen to be standing in union amongst shields. The production also has an emo rap inspired guitar loop that acts as a pathetic fallacy. Towards the end of the track (around a minute before its end) the emotion in the production takes off on a world of its own, full of heavy metal guitar and heavy drumming and ending with a messy guitar solo. THIS TRACK IS A MASTERPIECE!!!! From the production to the way that the visualiser tells the story, we know this is an artist who knows how to get his message across to the world. 'Tore Me Down' opens with a haunting classical piano progression. The vocals on this track are absolutely perfect and although the vocalist remains hidden from the public eye through choice, it's really important to praise what she has brought to the sound of this EP and this song in particular. Her vocal style when used in this track is as haunting an vocally strong as the likes of Sia. Degray, is a master of production and songwriting and his choice of vocalist for this project is the most perfect fit. I can't fault this EP in any way at all other than to say that I wish there was more. There isn't a single element of the overall project that I can critique. Out of both of the tracks, I would say that 'Tore Me Down' is my favorite, and also now one of my favorite songs of all time.