“Anyone from any age group always thinks things were the best when they were of a certain age,” Electro-pop artist Devereaux notes. “It’s literally a cliché.”
Because something is a cliché, does that necessarily make it a bad thing? No, of course not. That’s why it’s a cliché in the first place. Devereaux’s newest track, “Kapowski,” which Atwood Magazine is proudly premiering today, takes this clichéd notion, and poignantly acknowledges the ideological fascinations with yesteryear.
Listen: “Kapowski” – Devereaux
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/326975815?secret_token=s-gFsFV” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Imbued with MTV-era nostalgia and tinged with millennial confidence, Devereaux presents “Kapowski” not only as an homage to years past — the song itself is named after Saved By The Bell’s Kelly Kapowski, after all — but he also incorporates an intriguing synth-laden sound seldom found amongst other indie electronica contemporaries.
The song offers a slew of dewy-eyed reminders of the past, taking listeners back to years gone by with definitive electro-pop flair, including galvanized guitar riffs, groovy bass lines, and sweeping, wistful synths. Though, while it acknowledges the oft-romanticized ideas of life as we knew it, it also subtly questions its authenticity.
“‘Kapowski,’ at a zoomed out glance, is about nostalgia and the inherent tinges of melancholy that accompany it,” Devereaux says. “It’s also about being mindful of what you’re remembering, taking note of what really seemed so special and discerning whether or not it was only such because of your own naïveté.”
“Kapowski” blatantly posits, “Do you remember when we were so beautiful?” The dreamy, sun-kissed nostalgia of this ‘golden era’ stand at the fore of the less than 3 minute track, defining the ripped-jeans, big-haired boombox lust that encapsulated the Gen Y-into-millennial era.
Moreover, as the female vocalist in the hook croons, “Do you remember when we were so beautiful,” Devereaux overlays his own query: “Do you remember when the cars were so beautiful?” It may seem like an odd thought, but it is wholly intentional.
“The hook stems from my dad’s penchant for old Packard cars from the 1940s,” Devereaux explains. “Were those cars that hot? I don’t know, that’s his frame of reference. Now, when I was younger, I thought a silver 1991 Toyota Previa was totally what was up. I admittedly was off the mark, though, because we all know that thing looks like a covered baked potato that someone accidentally sat on a little bit.”
Devereaux croons about a foregone era, trekking through its ubiquity with funk, flair, and synth (but, let’s be real, that’s the best way to do it). “Kapowski” is a reminder of the innocence that often accompanies nostalgia.
“Odd yet innocent car tastes notwithstanding, I think it’s safe to say Kelly Kapowski has stood the test of time,” Devereaux says. “ That 30 minute slice of Saturday morning excellence is, [in my honest opinion], a polaroid from the past that suffers not from rose tinted filtering.”
Delve into the dreamy nostalgia of “Kapowski,” streaming now exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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