This recent release “Peace” by artist “Popcypher” has a pretty big feeling of experimentation to it from the very beginning. It’s a really unusual setup, alongside what is genuinely a really well-written and interesting song, so on the whole what you get is something completely fresh, yet familiar enough to keep you feeling comforted, and listening intently. Popcypher is an artist based in Montreal, Canada, who is committed to celebrating positive pop culture. His debut album, Rising, reflects his commitment and explores the rise of artificial intelligence. Popcypher’s music blends pop, hip-hop, and lo-fi styles. He collaborates with writers, singers, and producers to bring his songs to life.
The hook section in particular to this piece, the presentation of that key line – “Peace”– is one that sort of absorbs into you as you listen. It’s a definite highlight of the whole song, and that’s a great thing to have mastered – look at any renowned or widely loved song throughout time; it’s the chorus people remember it for, more often than not. Yet leading up to this section in this case, and indeed surrounding it, is this hugely creative arrangement of music – and that’s something much rarer. The instrumentation seems to switch between the perfectly harmonious and expected sort of sound, and the utterly unpredictable, re-grab your attention and focus moments. It definitely keeps you on your toes, which is important – as once you get back to that hook section; the hypnotic warmth sets back in and you quickly learn to know and love the ins and outs of the whole track.
To listen fully is to let the track really get inside your head, and this, in all honesty, is where songs like this belong. Anything that provokes thought in such a way, that opens the mind to alternate views of reality – makes you reconsider, and re-analyze things – is more than worth letting into your consciousness. On the other hand, musically speaking, the track very much belongs at a live show. In many ways, you can hear the energy of the music and the rhythm, you can feel the passion of the ideas and the performance, and all in all – it’s a truly refreshing kind of musical artistry for this time in our lives. To really take on the concept and the substance that makes up the songwriting, it would be crucial, and probably immensely enjoyable, to witness Popcypher performing the song live. In amidst a set of much more of their original material, of course. The opening lyric is one to grab your attention in itself, and it only gets more and more interesting from there on in. Well worth a listen.
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