Crisp, clean and contemporary sound design meets with quickly addictive songwriting on this latest easy hit from artist and songwriter Drew The Recluse. Leading with a fine balance between melody and rap, a colorful soundscape with an upbeat bounce to it, and a clear-cut, upfront vocal (that’s incredibly refreshing to hear following a string of auto-tune pop hits), “Survive” is a song that gets straight to the point, speaks from the heart, and remains relevant and engaging in its own way right to the end. As an introduction to Drew The Recluse, “Survive” works its magic in an instant. The songwriting and the style shine well, the finish is professional, the structure keeps you interested with various changes from one moment to the next. In addition, though, Drew The Recluse’s voice has something brilliantly genuine about it. There are a tone and style to the delivery that immediately feels fresh, and honest. Even the back and forth between the clean vocal and the distant echo adds something subtle yet effective to the mix. The end result of all of this is a song that fits well amidst today’s musical landscape, but also refuses to fully adhere to the unspoken rules of what creates a hit. That touch of originality should hopefully take Drew The Recluse further and further with each new release.
Listen to “Survive” here and read more with Drew The Recluse below!
Hey there Drew The Recluse! Welcome to BuzzMusic! “Survive” is category transforming! Tell us how you came to produce this track?
I was linking up with Mayay0 at his home in Jersey. He knew I loved guitar samples. As soon as I heard the beat, I got a lot of influence from my life. I work a 9-5 job as most middle-class Americans do. I work paycheck to paycheck and while I’m on that job, I always think about what I could be doing that is way more productive.
We know that your music is known for rooting itself in innovation and a sense of modernity. Where do you search for and/or end up finding your inspiration for such contemporary stylings?
When it comes from subject matter, I just take from life. I think that if I feel this way, someone else can relate. Fantasies of going from rags to riches, struggling to handle my life paycheck to paycheck. The new American Dream is limited to so many. Many don’t have healthcare. No one has any leisure time to digress. Stress and anxieties. It’s all building up. I use music to digress and get out how I feel. As far as musically, I listen to a wide range of music, but most film scores. Film scores. They emotional guide you through visuals and I mold my music to emotionally guide my audience through how I feel.
Your latest release “Suburbia” is definitively lively, with such an eclectic, yet modern take on production. How did you intend to connect with your listeners with this particular project?
I think lately in Hip-Hop, we only see one side of the “Black Experience.” I just focus on providing the other side of the coin. Look at an artist like Childish Gambino (Donald Glover), Kanye West, Reo Cragun, who really put their personal lives into their music. They don’t rap about guns and gangs like a lot of the newer music. I grew up in Jackson, rural farmland, I was a nerd in High School. I’m a Star Wars fan. My parents worked hard to help me as they could. That being said, that doesn’t promise me any ease. I make the music I’d want to hear. At the same time, as I said, the American dream and the Suburbia ideology have changed due to the modern-day opioid epidemic, and the influx of people from the city moving down to where I am from. The lines are so blurred now. Things that happen in New York or Chicago do happen in Suburbia. Obviously not that same scale, but they happen.
What would you say is the most useful piece of criticism you’ve received thus far within your career? Do you typically take criticism to your advantage?
I think the most useful criticism I take with me is asking myself is what I do authentic enough? Does it sound like me? Does it feel like me? I think in order to thrive in music, you have to have your own identity. Especially since there are so many copy cats out there. So many people just want to sound like Drake, or Baby Keem, or Young Thug. Be yourself. It really is important, especially from a business perspective. I want to be “forever,” not a trend, or a fad, here today and gone tomorrow.
It was a treat being able to showcase “Survive” on BuzzMusic! We can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us as listeners! What’s the next goal for you artistically within the music world, now that you’ve just released a new EP?
We have a new single, nee visual, and full project coming by the end of the year. I want to do more collaborations. I am opening for FUTURISTIC in Asbury Park on November 1st. I am awaiting to hear back from another artist to open for them. I want to keep learning. I just love learning as an independent artist. Just to keep working and not stopping.