Apr 22

Apr 22 Arthur

With sophomore album Hair Of The Dog being released on May 15th, Philadelphia based musician ARTHUR has offered up another glimpse into his surreal universe via new single ‘No Tengo’. Building upon foundations he established on debut album Woof Woof, “No Tengo” once again highlights ARTHUR’s talent for writing interesting and challenging pop songs.

Opening in typically off-kilter fashion, ‘No Tengo’ begins by sampling Righeira’s italo disco track ‘No Tengo Dinero’. For seven seconds we are drawn into a kitsch 80’s wonderland, before being abruptly dragged out by a shoegaze esc wall of sound - with pulsing synths, guitar and thumping drums audible in the mix.

This meld of sounds continues throughout, with well crafted exchanges between instruments, all of which are soaked in a healthy dose of either distortion or reverb. Above these musical textures, ARTHUR’s vocals cut through in joyous fashion. The melodies he sings are sweet and subtle, which contrasts with the song's chaotic instrumentals. The end result is skewed bedroom pop track - think Clairo channeling her inner David Lynch

“I wanted to write a more positive song but it still came off as having everything and nothing at all,” says ARTHUR. “Some kind of nightmarish internal exorcism, like being in the movie Alien but in the comfort of the sparsely decorated room in the back of your small apartment. Love flicking on and off like a light switch, here for a moment and then gone.”

The accompanying music video, directed by Jack Wedge (Adult Swim, ARCA), reflects the surrealist energy of “No Tengo”. Through it’s warped animation and shifting psychedelic colours, Wedge creates a bizarre dreamscape which perfectly visualises the universe ARTHUR creates through his music.