Alt-electro artist Robert DeLong’s ‘soft boy’ challenges alpha-male cultural stereotypes, but today (Aug 21st), a new, stripped back version of the song, reveals the vulnerability behind the lyrics.
“I wanted to remind men that it’s ok (and maybe ideal?) to feel emotions or to be affected by the late-stage-capitalism melancholy we all live in,” says Robert. “I wanted to create a more stripped back, acoustic version of ‘soft boy’ to emphasise the emotive and melancholic aspects of the song and present it in a new way to illuminate alternate understandings of the lyrics to the listener.
“The original song heavily relied on the vocal production to differentiate the sections of the song but my vocal performance didn’t feel as strong, when exposed, in the original key – so I changed the key to fit this more subdued version. All of the sounds recorded were acoustic instruments – acoustic guitar, hand drums, shakers – but upon completion it felt it was missing some sort of forlorn lead element. I enlisted J.D. Carrera to record some pedal steel on top of it. The final product ends up being this somewhat folk/country sad-boy pop song that, I hope, adds a new dimension to the tune.”
The original version of ‘soft boy’ will appear on Robert’s new album out September 13th, the half-sarcastically titled PLAYLIST of DOOM.
Like many of the other songs on PLAYLIST of DOOM, ‘soft boy’ embraces a raw honesty in its lyrics. “My first few records were more existential,” he says. “In your twenties you think you know everything about the universe and you want to tell everyone everything you know. But as you get older you learn more about yourself and relationships, so it made more sense for me to write about that.”
Throughout the track-list, fans can hear subtle hints of Robert’s varied influences, resulting in an album that’s as eclectic as he is. They range from his obsession with dub, the dusty drums of breakbeat and jungle, the songwriting of ‘90s alternative music and early ‘00s Seattle indie, as well as classic songwriters like Tom Petty, David Byrne and Depeche Mode. He also nods to more modern artists like Gloomer, Post Malone, Pugilist and Om Unit.
With more than 200 million streams on Spotify and 43 million views on YouTube, Robert DeLong has established himself as an outlier in the realm of alt rock: an innovator who melds electronic music techniques with personal lyrics and captivating hooks. His fascinating, frenzied one-man live performances have engrossed audiences at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Reading and Leeds. Robert DeLong will join Atlas Genius on a co-headline tour across America starting September 8th. Full dates can be found at https://www.robertdelong.com/
Photo credit – Corinne Schiavone