As a fuckoff big Urban Outfitters goes up on the drag, and as a seemingly endless series of articles about the death of the Austin creative class at the hands of the Big Dollar swarms at us like a nonstop sandstorm of hurtytruth, it's nice that we at The Deli keep gettin’ an equal if not even psychically stronger swarm of good Austin music flowing at us from the other sociological direction. It helps to keep our souls from burning out, and it's especially cockles-warmin' (oh them neglected cockles) to know that there are still some Austin creatives out there succeeding at that most oldschool Austin of tasks, in that they’re able to both continue to make awesome shit and actually make a functioning business of it.
Among those makers who keep the good light burnin' and the money comin' in to the ATX the right way (and for the right people) is one Paul Grant- Record Label Manager at the stellar Raw Paw records, and the creative force behind Eyelid Kid, an electronic pop music act that just released an excellent new track of bouncy, tempo-changing beats called “Shadow Talk.”
“Shadow Talk” is a bit of a conundrum in this celebration-obsessed city, in that its very “now,” airy, thoughtful electronic production is complemented by lyrics that are all about frustration with dating someone who is all party all the time, a sentiment that you don’t hear expressed out loud that much here in Party City, Texas. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being in the situation it discusses, “Shadow Talk” gets the feeling of being dead into someone while also being quite aware that they’re far more into themselves and The Party than is healthy just dead to rights. Lines like “But it’s just like you to blow me off” are almost painfully accurate that lopsided, always-doomed (but pretty thrilling while it lasts) dating set-up, but even if you’ve never been in that weird (and perhaps more Austin than we’d all like to admit) sexual limbo, the track itself is also just one gorgeously constructed piece of future pop music that should find itself buried deep in that part of the brain where ear worms live for any listeners who are into artful pop music.
Eyelid Kid himself calls it “frosting pop,” a moniker that encapsulates the “very bright and pretty and feels good right now” vibe of the track, though perhaps it undersells the somewhat outside-the-typical-pop-box thoughts in the lyrics. That fully pop-ness that also undermines pop expectations (lines could be maybe be drawn between Eyelid Kid’s approach and that of pop confusers PC Music) extends even to the album art, a manga-influenced piece by Blake Bohls that is very much in the realm of pop art but also very unlike most pop music record covers.
“Shadow Talk” is just one more piece of proof that Austin has a burgeoning pool of pop talent that is indie only in their disassociation with big labels and which fears no beat, and it is a wonderfully welcome piece of future-leaning pop music that is good for the Austinite’s soul, as it is for the soul of Austin itself. Eyelid Kid has only been performing since September, but it’s said that his shows are something magical to behold and more have been coming up of late (including a show at Empire Garage June 26th with The Deli Austin favorites Slooom and Shmu along with Hikes), so keep an eye on this entrepreneurial creator and embodier of the spirit of this city as it is when its being its true self at his Facebook page, and listen to the poplovely “Shadow Talk” below.
