Having trouble getting vulnerable with a significant other? Need a song to set the perfect chilled out soundtrack for your day? Do you love indie pop and the sound of a smooth, sultry male vocalist? I’ve got just the song and band for you.
slenderbodies, an indie pop dup based out of California, is made up of two singers/songwriters/producers named Ben Cormack and Aram “Max” Vehuni. Ben has been playing guitar since he was eight years old, but it wasn’t until college that he began to learn piano, drums, and begin dabbling in songwriting. Max has been playing guitar since he was ten years old but is also trained in music/jazz theory, and he also writes his own music. They both attended University of California-Santa Cruz and on the second day of classes, they met through a mutual friend. They immediately bonded over their mutual interest in music, they showed each other their current projects and they decided to help one another. Three years later, they had become official musical partners. As far as their sound, they say their biggest musical influences are Radiohead, Alt-J, and Glass Animals. Their first album sotto voce was written, recorded, and produced over the span of a month while they were 380 miles away from each other. A year later, they released an EP called fabulist and now they are gearing up to release yet another EP, soraya, which is the EP that their new song, “king”, appears on.
The song begins with a groovy electric guitar riff, reminiscent of good 70s classic rock song. But then, to add a bit of contrast and some cool vibes, they add a modern, electronic beat. The song altogether has the indie pop feeling that the duo was going for, but the slow, steady and laid back rhythm almost gives it a jazzy sound. Their voices are very subdued and controlled. Their harmonies are subtle and soft, often in falsetto, which aids to the delicate narrative of the lyrics. Their singing style is very unique, making the lyrics almost a bit vague, but it’s far from lazy. In fact, their intonation makes the listener want to look up the lyrics, listen and read along. The listener wants to get the full story. The music production is so simple but it definitely creates a certain mood. Upon listening, I felt like it was the perfect song for a cocktail party or an art gallery. Not in the sense that it’s background music, but in the sense that “king” is sophisticated, and says so much with so little.
Paranoid.
You got me figured out.
Paranoid.
Come down it’s much too loud.
Paranoid.
Too long we lived with doubt.
I’ve never run
’til right now.
The singer is worried and wondering if their lover knows them too well, has seen all their deepest parts. Exposing yourself in this way is vulnerable, and not easy. It’s only under these vulnerable circumstances that he would ever consider leaving, running away scared.
You know that I’m hiding,
can’t belong.
Shadows that I’m fighting
make me strong.
This throne in my mind is
keeping me going,
farther than the reach of time.
The singer leaves parts of himself hidden for this vulnerability reason. Keeping parts of his life or heart in the shadows makes him feel stronger, almost as invincible as a king. This “throne” of strength protects him and makes life manageable.
So she said
‘Baby it’s all in your
head. It’s in your mind I guess’.
This baroness
She always seems to know
best. I bet she’s my common sense.
His lover, in response to all his hidden parts, says his fear is something he made up all on his own. There is no reason to be afraid; she will love him no matter what she finds out. He acknowledges that she can read him like a book, and most likely knows better than he does.
Paranoid.
You’ll all see when I’m down.
Paranoid,
among a troubled crowd.
Polaroid.
Your pictures fading
too quickly now
with the sound.
Not only is he afraid to get vulnerable, he’s afraid to fail. He feels like the world will be watching him in disappointment. He feels like everything is fading away from him.
You know that I’m hiding,
can’t be long.
Her warm touch invites me,
makes me strong.
The morning in my mind is
keeping me going,
farther than the reach of time.
He feels like the shadows and covers he’s been hiding under won’t be present for much longer. His lover’s support and affection is making him stronger than ever before. He sees a new dawn, a new era coming. And that hope will be his new driving force.
