|
LA musician, songwriter and artist Loren Kramar has never been afraid to experiment, be it with his style, his avant garde visuals or the stretching of his own musical perspectives. And today he continues his journey of limitless creativity with the dropping of his ‘Flowers & Dreams’ double-sided single which showcases his pristine vocals and “gloomily ornate and cinematic” (Stereogum) musicality in top form via two very unique sonic landscapes as a way to unpack a doomed relationship.
Loren wrote both tracks with John Carroll Kirby and enlisted the help of longtime collaborator and Grizzly Bear multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor to produce the double-sided release. While Loren’s vocals and overarching style could call to mind the likes of genre-melding acts like Frank Ocean, Perfume Genius and The Weeknd, today’s release of “How Am I Supposed To Dream?” and “Flowers” find him leveraging his vocal prowess to take his sound in somewhat uncharted directions.
“Releasing these two songs together felt like an opportunity to explore the unfolding of a singular, doomed relationship – one filled with denial and revelation,” said Loren about today’s release.
“Flowers”, which Loren says “is about clinging to proof of love – no matter how small it’s evidence or how failing the partnership. I think of that song as a mantra of denial performed to convince myself I’m fulfilled when I'm not,” features a 1960s psychedlia vibe with a distorted production, distant guitar, mournful sax, and a dark piano backbone. The song feels haunted, echoing with reverb and feeling drenched in melancholy.
On the other side of the coin is “How Am I Supposed to Dream?”, a song that serves as a more enlightened perspective on the failing relationship. No longer in denial, but still hurting, Loren says that the track “exists much more as an awakening on the other side of "Flowers". There’s still a desperation to the circumstance but it feels like a more revealing confession to the man I love - how is this going to work if you’re scared of trying?” The song feels more studio-polished than its sister song, with notes and vocals ringing clear to create a hypnotizing and soulful track that calls to mind the work of Maxwell and John Legend.
The ‘Flowers & Dreams’ double-side follows the release of his “nuanced, engrossing, immersive” (CLASH Magazine) single “Cover Girl” which dropped in June, his latest musical release “Let’s Go To My House” (which he debuted via a livestreaming performance party that included guest appearances by Francis and the Lights, and John Early), and the unveiling of an art photo series collab with friend and photographer Evelyn Pustka called “Home Alone” that debuted on Ladygunn and combined fashion with domestic household tasks, all through an absurdist lens, serving as a commentary on life amidst COVID.
Loren Kramar is a visual and musical artist who studied painting and performance at one of America’s most prestigious art schools, Cooper Union. He had a major breakout in 2015 when Apple debuted his first single “My Life” during the unveiling of Apple Music at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Last year, he had a drawing show in New York with queer icons, McDermott & McGough. He’s also a frequent collaborator of avant-garde fashion brand Lou Dallas, performing a live soundtrack with John Carroll Kirby at her fashion show at NYFW in September.
|
