Eyedress is an artist who’s as beneficiant as he’s prolific. Along with dropping chic, lo-fi data and showing on the quilt of Various Press, he is continuously creating music and pulling from his personal reckless upbringing to deliver his songs to life. Now, Eyedress is again with a brand new punk mixtape, COMMITTING CRIMES, which is out right this moment (and completely free on Bandcamp as a result of it is “for the people anyway“).
Learn extra: How UK protest punk flourished off the again of political turmoil
“I didn’t actually inform anybody about this mixtape aside from my mates who helped me make it,” he says of the mission. “It’s a neighborhood factor. I acquired the gang on right here serving to me behind the scenes — acquired rappers taking part in bass and skaters, who clear 20-stair handrails, whispering on synth-punk beats and even acquired the synth-punk god himself, N8NOFACE.”
Under Eyedress breaks down each monitor on his collaborative new punk mixtape.
“OPP HUNTING SEASON” (FEAT. JUICE & MICHAEL MYERS)
I made this tune in a haze of smoke in my studio at residence with my mates Juice and Michael, who each are insane skaters who can skate 10 stairs, as seen within the music video. Me and Juice each performed the synths on this synth-punk tune, and Michael did his verse immediately after we completed recording the instrumental. Really feel like that is the type of tune you take heed to whenever you’re about to get right into a battle, in search of a battle, looking down your enemies or the entire above. This tune represents how I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. I at all times acquired into fights at college, and generally we’d take the fights out to the streets after college.
“SCHOOL BURNERS” (FEAT. NATIA)
I made this instrumental a pair years in the past once I lived in a tiny studio residence in Echo Park. Initially it was for me and N8NOFACE’s punk mission DON’T DIAL 911, however we ended up not utilizing it. I keep in mind I texted the instrumental to my good friend, Inglewood rapper Natia, who’s loopy proficient, however sooner or later I used to be like, “You all the way down to get on some punk shit?” and naturally, he was down. We recorded the vocals only a couple weeks in the past, to be sincere. It was one of many final songs I made for the album, and I’m glad it’s on right here as a result of natia has at all times been a very good good friend, and it’s tremendous random that he acquired on a punk monitor, but it surely’s additionally good ’trigger Natia is fairly bizarre in any case. I feel Natia’s lyrics are about his love for cocaine and mine are nearly shit I did once I was a youngster. Issues like sneaking out my dad and mom’ automotive, hot-boxing the automotive and getting so drunk I go out on the ground.
“DIE WITH DIOR ON” (FEAT. NICK BLANCO)
Most likely one of many oldest songs on the album. Me and Nick made this in the identical studio residence I used to be dwelling at in Echo Park that I discussed earlier. Round that point, me and Nick have been making a bunch of music movies on VHS. We used to kick it rather a lot throughout the pandemic. We’d smoke blunts and report ignorant Auto-Tune rap shit to plugg beats we discovered on YouTube. Sooner or later we determined to strive approaching a punk beat the identical approach we might a plugg beat, which was rapping about designer garments, flexing and having costly shit however over a punk beat. I solely did my verse a pair weeks in the past additionally, however I’ve been holding on to the tune ever since, and I knew when the time was proper I’d get on it.
“SACRED SECRETS” (FEAT. N8NOFACE)
I made this beat fully on my laptop computer on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. I initially recorded vocals about being excessive on medicine ’trigger I believed it sounded exhausting with the beat. Then I noticed Nate make a put up about how he had struggled with dependancy, so it made me wanna change the message of the tune. I deleted these previous vocals and got here up with these new ones about why it’s so exhausting to remain sober. I used to be talking from expertise as a result of I struggled with sobriety earlier than and thought it will be totally different to do vocals on a synth-punk tune the place you’d count on some hard-ass lyrics however as a substitute ended up being about one thing actually constructive. As for Nate’s lyrics, all I can say is we don’t snitch round right here!
“COMMITTING CRIMES”
I feel this tune actually represents the darker facet of me. it’s like a soundtrack to all of the occasions once I did a bunch of silly shit that usually acquired me into bother. The music actually captures that dangerous, sketchy vibe I used to be at all times on and the adrenaline I acquired from doing all these loopy issues like working from the cops, beginning fires, all while feeling like an absolute failure in life.
“SLIT WRIST SLUMBER PARTY” (PROD. BY RAZY)
I made this tune with my photographer Razy, who additionally likes taking part in the synthesizer each time he will get an opportunity at my studio we at all times report [in], and that is a type of tracks that we made. It feels like darkish online game music, particularly with the Donkey Kong samples in there. Me and Razy love Donkey Kong, so you realize we needed to put it in there. Total it is a constructive punk tune impressed by my heroes Dangerous Brains with their PMA (constructive psychological angle) and that entire mindset. I feel I discuss being sick of letting my household down. I assume I needed to make a tune about turning my life round regardless of all of the occasions I allow them to down once I was youthful.
“1800 SUICIDE” (FEAT. JAY UGHH)
A tune I want I had made sooner in life. In the course of the pandemic, somebody I as soon as knew took their life, and it actually had me fucked me up inside. That taking place to me put me on the trail to finally creating this tune. I made this one with Jay Ughh on the bass and me on guitar. I turned mates with Jay when he was managing the Fucking Superior retailer on Hollywood Boulevard. From there, we turned mates, and I instructed him we should always make music someday. Sooner or later I posted a pic of me and him, and my good friend messaged me saying, “No approach, you realize Jay Ughh? He used to rap on this group known as Chill Black Guys,” and that’s how I came upon he was a rapper and was into music prior. He had by no means talked about something about music to me, which I believed was tremendous cool of him.
Ultimately, Jay confirmed me one other facet to him when he performed me this post-punk-type tune the place he was singing in a low coldwave voice. Jay acquired a bass and began coming over extra to report, and out of that got here this tune. The vocals got here round a time once I was feeling down on myself. Oftentimes I get too in my head, and my ideas spiral into this black gap of negativity. Jay Ughh’s vocals actually helped lighten the tune up, although, as he was the good friend that I wanted on this tune and in actual life to complete the journey I had began into singing about how suicide is just not the best way to go.
“RUNNIN FROM THE KKKLAN” (FEAT. JAY UGHH)
Throughout my early teenage years, my household had moved to Orange County in San Clemente, California. In my highschool, we didn’t actually have gangs like we did within the colleges I went to in Phoenix, Arizona, however this explicit college had neo-Nazi skinheads, and I keep in mind they’d at all times hang around at what they known as the “skinhead hill,” which was the place all of them ate throughout lunch. It was only a desk on somewhat hill, and every so often you’ll run into them, and so they’ll name you a racial slur, a f*ggot or one thing silly like that. I feel this monitor is about racism. It’s like a historical past lesson primarily based on reality, in accordance with Jay’s vocals about being an African particular person rising up in America.
“WHO IS WHO” (PROD. BY ZEROH)
I made this monitor with Zeroh, who’s engineered nearly all of my data. He’s additionally an especially proficient rapper and singer who additionally simply so occurs to play bass. He performed the bass throughout the first half of the tune, and I performed the bass on the second half the place it adjustments up. I feel this tune is nearly driving quick and never being a judgmental dweeb. I handled a variety of classist folks once I lived within the Philippines, so this one’s for these assholes who tried to make me really feel much less for not being wealthy like them.
“NO ONE IS ILLEGAL” (PROD. BY REALYUNGPHIL & JAY UGHH)
Sooner or later Phil and Jay have been over, and I simply stored telling Phil that he’s punk [but] he simply doesn’t understand it but. We have been smoking rather a lot, however Phil picked up the bass and performed probably the most punk bassline I’ve ever heard a rapper play. Phil is a very proficient younger rapper from the rap group Surf Gang, so it was simply so sick to see him taking part in bass. Him and Jay each performed bass on this, and I simply sing about how fucked the immigration system is. That combined with those who don’t actually love you and the way they wanna see you at your worst, so I believed all that simply tied in along with how unhealthy the immigration system works everywhere in the world, and that’s how these lyrics took place. Additionally, I feel a variety of youngsters like me who have been raised by immigrant dad and mom can perceive the message behind this one.
“THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD TIMES” (PROD. BY PENNY NIKKEL)
My good friend Penny made this with me when he visited me from San Francisco. He performs the all guitars to start with. He’s a very good good friend of mine who’s additionally a proficient painter and messes with music when he will get the possibility. The lyrics are nearly my fiancé, Elvia. She had just lately misplaced a good friend to COVID, and I’m not at all times the simplest particular person to take care of, so that is what got here out throughout that point. It’s nearly desirous to be adequate in your accomplice despite the fact that you’re not good, and in addition I assume I simply made this to cheer her up about her good friend passing ’trigger I understand how that feels, as I misplaced one in every of my mates to COVID throughout the pandemic.
