Indie/alternative artist Nick Arneson dropped a new single, “Naturally,” about a week ago. Now he’s back to unveil the visuals for the track, lifted from his upcoming album, Sunshine Guaranteed, slated for release October 8.
Nick explains that “Naturally” is “…probably the darkest song on what most will likely call a dark album. It meanders between a very specific short, hot, and bummer of a relationship to the wider idea of if a relationship is ever again even possible after certain epically devastating events. How many chances do we get to get it right? Do we run out? I hope not. Also, in a lot of my songs, I like switching the you’s and the I’s around, so be careful where you’re assigning values.”
Talking about his music in general, Nick shares, “This music is for anyone who feels like everyone who tells them they should be someone else can go fuck off. Mainly also it’s for me. Sanity is important they say.”
Father of two kids, Nick balances his family with music, which means he’s always involved in one or the other. In 2018, he released MidLifeCrisis, followed by 2019’s EP, Restless, along with a single, “Time Is on Your Side.”
As he wrote material for Sunshine Guaranteed, Nick deliberated on the episodes of his life: “Divorce after a 20-year relationship, parenting and surviving through the pandemic, the turmoil of an ever-changing and collapsing world. Micro and macro existential dread combined with the freedom and blue skies of being single for the first time after two decades…”
“Naturally” opens on dreamy, drifting colors flowing into a new wave rhythm flavored by darkwave sonic layers, rippling and trembling with shadowy textures. Nick’s voice, at once pressing and tinged with melancholy, infuses the lyrics with emotional urgency.
The video, directed by Nick and Jeff Hammond, begins with Nick in bed, experiencing a nightmare of bizarre implications: Nick plays two roles, one a colorful perpetually happy character surrounded by an enigmatic aura, akin to Dexter, the other a more serious corporate drone. Trippy and cryptic, the visuals relate an unusual day-in-the-life vibe.
Reminiscent of Peter Gabriel merged with Depeche Mode, with “Naturally,” Nick Arneson delivers a wonderfully haunting song seething with darkwave energy.
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