Off the heels of his 2020 sophomore release, Alejandro Aranda, better known by his stage name, scarypoolparty, has released his second single of 2021, the trap inspired, sidewinding single “Universe” featuring emo rapper nothing, nowhere. The single is one of a handful of new songs from Aranda that will find their way onto his upcoming EP, ‘Los Angeles,’ out March 26.
Radically different than his earlier 2021 release, “Home,” “Universe” reveals yet another side of Aranda, whose musical stylings range from genre to genre. Playing with form, Aranda displays a much deeper vocal range, rapping skills, a dizzyingly fast piano intro and distorted sounds that lend to the song’s potent themes.
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Like many of us, Aranda has been affected by the pandemic, finding more time to himself but also to exercise his musical talent in any direction he sees fit.
Stacking popular trap rap topics on top of each other, Aranda weaves in less evergreen and more specific lyrics to punctuate his disjointed but related thoughts. His decisive yet aloof delivery, deep vocals and breakdown of genres has a spirit akin to the likes of Brother Ali, but the background of those elements are a collage of Aranda’s own making.
“Universe” chronicles some of the inner workings of an artist forced into a slower pace of life and now with the time to self evaluate himself amidst uncertain times. Anxiety, isolation and disillusionment all find its way onto this single, as well as in the upcoming EP it preludes.
The former American Idol runner up seems to pull from every source of inspiration he can find, merging in ‘Los Angeles’ an eclectic, yet carefully tailored array of genres from rap and hip hop to classical music and R&B. His ear for good songwriting compresses all these styles into something you can’t quite describe, but definitely feel.
For more on scarypoolparty / Aranda, make sure to visit his website and follow him on social media.
Words: Patti Sanchez
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