Independent Alternative/R&B artist David Diaz makes a huge impression with his latest EP "Neon Cathedral". Listen to this EP once.
Then again. Then a third time to finally devour all of its components. The amount of genuine and honest emotions poured into this album is enough to have you feeling like you know exactly who David Diaz is. David exposes the most real parts of his life throughout "Neon Cathedral", and it makes it easier as listeners to understand the true perspective of the artist.
Featuring producers such as Jurrivh and Syndrome, "Neon Cathedral" maintains a similar atmospheric vibe all throughout, while also embedding contrasting elements of sound in order to accentuate the overall melody. David gets listeners thinking about a variety of intrinsic life experiences, which is what sets this thought-provoking EP apart from other alternative&R&B albums. We're excited to indulge in the EP itself and pick apart each aspect we favored at full-length.
"Intro" starts off David Diaz' EP, and pretty much sets the tone for how the rest of the EP will execute. We're introduced to that ethereal, vibe-like feel in terms of the production. Then, David's flowing vocalism effortlessly punctures the collection of synths. David's voice glides without effort, and will seamlessly capture your utmost attention. David has that exact type of voice that will stimulate and entrance listeners due to its hypnotic feel. The hypnosis of "Intro" will grab you and have you forgetting about everything at that moment--the only thing that matters is the sound of David Diaz in your ears.
The next track continuing on in the EP is "Bad Faith". Within this track, we get more of David and his vocal range. David easily showcases his vocal abilities within this particular track, as "Bad Faith" requires that dynamic vocal approach. Similar to "Intro" in the way of that ethereal and celestial sounding,
"Bad Faith" maintains a divine element to it, where we almost felt overwhelmed with inspiration. David Diaz continues this sense of inspiration and intimacy throughout "Losing Myself", the next track listeners are guided into from David's EP. "Losing Myself" possesses more of a personal feel, where David exposes his own vulnerable emotions to listeners.
You can easily feel this level of intimacy with David, and it doesn't hint at any elements of fabrication. We get the real, peeled-back layers of David within "Losing Myself", and we get to hear his most private thoughts regarding his own perspective, and ultimately his own life.
"Blasphemer" featuring Armani Adames is the track of this EP that begins to shake up that common delicate and airy vibe we caught within the other tracks. The two artists are able to create a track that executes harmoniously, yet still leaves that predominant pop/R&B impression. "Blasphemer" undoubtedly has a strong lyrical component to it. David and Armani are able to leave an impactful message to listeners through this song regarding their own hardships and torment. We definitely felt that the two artists complemented each other heavily with all aspects incorporated into "Blasphemer", and we're excited to see if the two collaborate on any other pieces in the near future!
"Sinner" ends off David's EP "Neon Cathedral". We're particularly happy that "Sinner" is the track to end this EP, as it really resonated with us here at BuzzMusic. "Sinner" felt a little slower and more sensual than the other tracks. We love that aspect of David--his execution of the track and how he adds in those impressionable sultry elements.
You can easily vibe along to this track on a mellow, laid-back night. We were impressed with the level of expertise going into David's EP, especially with "Sinner". The track exceeded its own potential, and with it, David's potential as an artist skyrocketed. David Diaz gave us track after track that felt beyond personal, angelic, and most importantly authentic as can be. David Diaz is a name that won't be forgotten at BuzzMusic, and we can expect to see great things from David artistically!
Listen to David's EP "Neon Cathedral" here, and read more on David and his music experiences below!
Congratulations on your release of "Neon Cathedral"! How excited were you to finally get this project out there, and expose it to your listening base?
Thank you so much!! Honestly, I was nervous to release it at first, but now that it's out, it brings me so much joy knowing that everyone is loving it! People are listening to it every day, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it! It's so amazing to see people all over the world listening to something that started out as a collection of demos on my phone! I'm so happy that I had the chance to share this part of myself with the world. I've been told by so many people, both in-person and on social media, that they strongly relate to the songs on the EP. That was the most important thing for me. I wanted to let people know that they're not alone in their struggles. "Neon Cathedral" deals with different subjects that some people are sensitive about. I wasn't necessarily afraid to bring up those subjects in my songs, I just didn't know how people would receive it. So, during the writing process, I made sure to write everything in a way where I'd still be staying true to myself and my vision for the EP, while also making the songs open to interpretation and relatable for my listeners. I'm just so glad that my music managed to reach so many people's hearts and minds in so many ways. There's no larger purpose or honor than being able to do that through my music.
Let's talk more on the third track from your EP, "Losing Myself". Can you explain more to our readers how you personally felt writing this track, and the emotions you had to bring about in order to fully create it?
For sure. Writing this song was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had to do some serious digging and bring up some painful memories. To say the least, it was an emotionally complex experience, but it was also extremely cathartic. The song is essentially about a time in my life when I thought there was no way out of the pain, confusion, and darkness that I was experiencing. Every lyric, every word that you hear me sing, is a thought or feeling that was taking up space in my mind. I wanted the words to be real and unfiltered. I actually wrote "Losing Myself" in a few days, but recorded all the vocals a couple of months later, because I would cry so hard that I couldn't manage to sing anything past the first verse without tears bursting from my eyes.
The whole creation process for this song was therapeutic. I don't think I had ever been in such an emotionally open and honest state of being, as I was while writing "Losing Myself." I find so much of my strength when I'm being vulnerable and breaking down walls that I have allowed either myself or others to construct. When there's nothing left to hide from, when you learn to put yourself in control of your own life; there is nothing more freeing than that. It was so refreshing to revisit my past emotions and see things from my current perspective. I got the chance to realize how much I've healed and grown, and how much growing I still have to do. It just amazes me how complex we all are, man.
We know that in every track you release, you prefer to stimulate eccentric and philosophical thoughts on the listener's end. Throughout "Neon Cathedral" what is one track that you believe encourages the most reflective thinking from your listeners?
Damn, that's a hard question. Hmm...I think it'd have to be "Intro." It's not that I think that the other four songs on the EP don't stimulate contemplative thought, but "Intro" is self-reflective in nature. Essentially, the song is an abbreviated musical expression of my perception of life. I live by the philosophy that I exist in an indifferent universe where nothing has meaning or purpose. We get to choose what gives our lives meaning and purpose. That's literally what this song is about. People might not get that from the first listen, but that's the message behind it. Most people who have listened to it have to go back and play it again to really understand what it is that I’m saying. And, when they do, it’s definitely an “Oh, shit” moment. Haha! I wanted to make the listener think about how they're going to choose to exist despite life's difficulties that we face as human beings.
How was the collaboration with Armani Adames on "Blasphemer"? Do you particularly enjoy collaborating with other artists on your work, or do you prefer to go through the curative process alone?
Actually, I really enjoy collaborating with other artists. It's a really fun experience when you get to be creative as a unit. Making "Blasphemer" with Armani was so much fun! We were excited about what we were doing. When we work together, we're always on the same wavelength. I mean, sometimes recording and writing sessions turn into therapy or talk sessions, but we always manage to snap back! Haha. It's so cool that I can explain my vision to him and he'll always add to it and never takes anything away from it. The cool thing about "Blasphemer" is that we recorded it and wrote it in a couple of hours! It was nuts! The song started out as something completely different. It had a downtempo R&B feel, but, for some reason, we couldn't write anything that stuck. So, we took a break from writing and came back to it a few weeks later.
When we got started on the song again, we scraped the old version we were working on and began from scratch. It was just him and I, sitting in the studio for several hours, coming up with melodies and lyrics. It was actually the last song on the EP that was recorded. Everything else on the project had been finished weeks beforehand. So, once we finished the song, we felt so accomplished! We put so much goddamn work into this thing! I feel so lucky that I was able to work with one of my best friends on something that I'm extremely passionate about. I love working with Armani. When it comes to songwriting for myself, though, I prefer to do it alone. There's something so personal and intimate about the way I write my music. I'm always open to creative advice, but I really enjoy it when it's just me alone with my thoughts. That's when I think I create the best music.
Now that "Neon Cathedral" is out in the music world, what's the next step for you and your music? Can listeners expect to hear the same sort of sounding from you artistically, or are you planning to execute your next sound in a varying way from this EP?
The next step for me is playing live shows. It was a really great experience performing my original music for the first time at my EP release event. I want to do more of that; meet fans and reach new ones! I'm also going to be collaborating with other artists. I've made some friends over the past few months who are extremely talented and amazing artists. So, people can expect some collaborations down the line. As for what listeners can anticipate from me next, my upcoming music is that it's going to have a different sound than what I've released this year. Overall, I will be staying in the Alternative R&B genre.
I try not to use labels when it comes to music because I find them very constricting and limiting, but Alternative R&B seems to fit my sound the most because I get so much inspiration from the styles of music that make up that genre. It gives me the freedom to mess around with different types of sounds."Neon Cathedral" was heavily influenced by Hip-Hop, Trap, Gospel, and R&B. My new music will stray slightly from that. It's still going to be my sound and my vibe, but it's something no one has heard from me before, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with everyone! What's coming next will definitely be exciting and fresh. One thing people can always expect from me when it comes to my original music is that it will be one-hundred percent authentic. I refuse to make music for the sake of making music. Every song I write has meaning and purpose behind it. So far, people have been really resonating with it in a way that I didn't think would ever happen. It's so crazy! I'm genuinely excited about what the future holds, and I can't wait to move on to this new chapter of my music!