Stephen Becker - “Careless”
New York City-based singer-songwriter Stephen Becker explores toxic relationships and emotional confusion with the feverishly magnetic “Careless.”
“Careless” is an expansive, genre-blitzing track that cannot easily be placed in a box. It moves seamlessly from art rock, experimental rock and art pop to name but a few styles. As the music shapeshifts you are instantly struck by its sense of scale, not just in terms of its sound but in its ambition, evoking the same sense of awe as you lay eyes on a sweeping majestic landscape.
“Careless” pounds hypnotically forward with a Jaki Liebezeit-esque krautrock drum beat. When coupled with the frazzled, fidgety sounds of guitar, the kind you get when Lennon abrasively blows out an EMI desk, you soon come to the conclusion that you are witnessing an unstoppable machine dead set on tearing up the ground in front of you. Think Radiohead’s “Bodysnatchers” crossed with QOTSA album Songs For The Deaf. That’s all before we get to stimulating array of abstract yet accessible sounds that wash over you in a satisfying wave of ear candy, whether the reverb throws, risers, reverb throws or the restless layers of percussion.
Stephen Becker contrasts this maelstrom of sound with a mellow and summery vocal. The performance is disarming, fragile and intimate as it drifts lightly over the top like a soft fluffy cloud. The delivery pulls you inward, creates an unusual tension that only heightens the impact of this experimental banger.
On the track Stephen Becker adds: “I was stuck on the word careless, and how adding a space flips its meaning entirely. In relationships, it’s hard to know whether someone’s just being careless (silly, impersonal) or if they actually care less (harsh). I tried to capture that ambiguity with a wily post-chorus guitar riff in the vein of Jonny Greenwood and Ed Rodriguez.”
No wasted moments and undeniably seductive “Careless” will leave you disarmed and exhilarated in what can only be described as a sublime triumph of chaos and beauty. Stephen Becker’s new album, Gravity Blanket, will be out on April 24th. Connect with Stephen Becker: Spotify | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
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