Premiere: Wild Eyed Boy - 'I Don't Know Anymore' (Single)
London based artist / producer Wild Eyed Boy is releasing his debut single 'I Don’t Know Anymore' tomorrow (May 19, 2017) and we were lucky enough to not only premiere the track, but feature a playlist of inspiring songs put together by the man himself!
Wild Eyed Boy is the project of James Shuar who traded the sunshine and leafy streets of Sydney for life in the wondrously gritty cit of London. Borrowing his artist monikor from one of David Bowie’s songs, Wild Eyed Boy cites influence from both vintage and modern sounds which are immediately evident in his debut single, 'I Don't Know Anymore'.
'I Don't Know Anymore' is built on a strong foundation of emotion. Subtle hip hop beats give a solid concrete feel, grounding the track as 80s-flavoured synth add a soaring, fizzy nostalgia. As indie pop guitar work collides with Wild Eyed Boy's beautifully raw and affecting vocal, the lyrics that spill out in a despairing sigh hold a sentiment so palapable, it's hard not to be moved by the aching sincerity.
‘I Don’t Know Anymore’ was written after a breakup and a ruptured eardrum left Wild Eyed Boy housebound for 6 weeks. The track we hear now is actually the second version of this song that he has recorded – the first one never saw the light of day because he was worried about releasing something with such personal lyrics.
He describes the inspiration for the song here: “I’d just moved out of my ex’s apartment and was sleeping on a blow-up mattress in my sister’s living room… it was a really weird time and the stress of it all led to this eardrum bursting. These lyrics came out on a particularly bleak grey London morning, when the realisation of everything that was happening to me came crashing down all at once. I couldn’t even leave the house cause my balance was totally messed up from the ear, so writing this song was my only way to get the bad feelings out.”
He describes the inspiration for the song here: “I’d just moved out of my ex’s apartment and was sleeping on a blow-up mattress in my sister’s living room… it was a really weird time and the stress of it all led to this eardrum bursting. These lyrics came out on a particularly bleak grey London morning, when the realisation of everything that was happening to me came crashing down all at once. I couldn’t even leave the house cause my balance was totally messed up from the ear, so writing this song was my only way to get the bad feelings out.”
Premiere by Karla Harris
'I Don't Know Anymore' will be available online on all major store platforms and streaming services this Friday. It will also be available for free download (pay what you want) on Bandcamp. Check out Wild Eyed Boy's 'What Keeps Us Sane' playlist below featuring 8 inspiring songs of personal meaning.