PRISM MEDIA
PRESENTING REALITY IN SLOW MOTION.
“Feelings exploited, turn them into songs for cash.”
by Nicholas Torres
6/2/2023
As soon as the opening guitar lick to ‘Haikus’ rings through your headphones, you’re instantly transported to behind the wheel of a convertible car, cruising down the causeway on a perfect summer day. The overall instrumentation is lovely, and kevspeakstruth’s vocals come in with a soft and lovely falsetto. The lead melody is an earworm on first listen, but the depth of the lyricism reveals itself with:
“Just too disjointed, sequence is all out of whack, when I’m happiest / Feelings exploited, turn them into songs for cash,”
It’s a brilliant line that uncovers the melancholia that late Milennials/early Gen-Z-ers feel. Turning every dopamine hit into a possible cash-grab in order to cope with this slow descent into dystopia. What else is there left to do than the continuous cycle of creation and consumption?
“Wrap them up in glossy paper just to serve it to the people / Best be on your best behavior even though the truth is evil”
Next is ‘Supernova,’ a dynamic pop-rock track that begins with a bang. Kev’s vocals are electric on this one, and the production is eclectic in the best way possible. I can see immense potential for virality with this track. The outro is unexpected, but undeniable, and I wish it was a tad longer.
‘Evans Interlude’ is a mellow joint, with spacey and ambient distorted pad synths that Kev floats over until the drums drop. His message is sincere and you can’t help but be left with a smile after listening, even though the song loses me a bit sonically in the second half. The penultimate track, ‘First Time,’ is a sweet ballad with a bittersweet tone. The song is about loss: loss of peace and innocence, and what to do with that loss. Sometimes what’s gained is greater, and the freedom that comes with expressing yourself as if it’s the first time ever is rewarding enough.
‘34104,’ the final, and my favorite track, is a terrific closer that finishes coloring and shading the rest of our summer day. This drive has been a short, yet introspective one. As we reach our destination and have been given a chance to reflect, we realize like Kev says, “It doesn’t matter in the end.” What matters is the journey to the destination.
And if this EP is any indication of what’s to come for kevspeakstruth, we’re in for the making of a tremendous singer/songwriter, whose soundscapes are vivid and whose voice as a songwriter is crystal clear. You’d be hard-pressed to find another artist who is as authentic as Kev in this day and age, even if we take him at face value and he is offering us songs for cash.