Live Review: BOLEYN's 'Re: 21' beautifully captures the anxieties of your early 20's
Sydney queer-pop artist BOLEYN returns today with his second single. We were so hooked on his debut, 'The Revisionist', that we named him one of our artists to watch in 2019 earlier in the year, and with this second offering, we're stoked that we did.
'Re: 21' is the title of single number two, and it sees him drawing from a multitude of influences to create an anthemic single reminiscent of mid to late 2000's indie artists like Bright Eyes and writers such as Raymond Carver. There's an element of youthful sadness that instantly explodes within the lyrics, the track becoming a reflection of anxiety.
Musically, we're let in with a softly strummed guitar, instantly taking us back to our high school years. His voice comes in with conviction, telling us a story of a true young adulthood, one filled with feelings of emptiness and anxiety. It paints a picture of a painful reality, beautifully told through BOLEYN's vocals.
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The guitar glides beautifully atop light keys, and when the percussion hits, it's like a blanket of warmth, the bongos softly pitter-pattering beneath the story being told.
Of the track, BOLEYN said:
“Each verse deals with a specific anxiety; alcohol, old friends, mental health, drugs and hook-up culture,” says Boleyn. “I remember sitting at home in my early twenties one night, with my guitar in hand, and thinking ‘Taylor Swift lied!’ she has her song 22’, right? Well I was in my twenties and wasn’t having any fun. I was going out with friends and having anxiety attacks in the club, waking up next to strangers and feeling empty and in general, feeling like I wasn’t living my life properly. So, instead of writing a party anthem about being young and not giving a fuck, I wrote what felt like the truth of my years as a young adult”.
Words by CAITLIN MEDCALF
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