An intoxicating display of raw inner conflict, Restless Modern’s passionate new single “You Won’t” burns bright as the artist confronts the deepest, darkest parts of himself.
for fans of EDEN, Frank Ocean, The 1975
∆˚ ∆˚ ∆˚
“Sometimes you can find creativity in the smallest and dumbest ways,” Restless Modern’s Jack Kieffer wrote in a recent Instagram post. “For some reason, I thought it would be funny to put “do not” on top of the enter key on my keyboard (it wasn’t). But it looked kind of cool – and I thought, “hey, that could be the main lyric of a song.” So I started writing. Now, what started as putting something stupid on my Instagram story will turn into a fully fledged song. And who knows, maybe that song will be the song that changes my life.”
Jack Kieffer is a dreamer, his high head in the sky with visions of sold-out stadiums and worldwide tours. At 22 years old, the Harvard University graduate and New York City resident has an edge up from the rest of us who aspire to musical stardom: His self-produced, self-written, and self-performed project Restless Modern has already amassed over 12 million streams on Spotify alone, ranked on iTunes’ Top 10 electronic chart (amongst others), and received radio play in North America and Europe.
Yet for all this relative success early on in his life and his career, Kieffer can’t help but harbor deep doubts, feeling unworthy or undeserving of his own ambitions. He wears the moniker Restless Modern exceptionally well: His dynamic music, with its blend of electronica, R&B, trap and hip-hop elements, has a way of reflecting and magnifying his introspective lyrics. In truth, it is this emotional transparency – Kieffer’s willingness to pour himself, fears, hopes, and all, into his music – that makes Restless Modern’s music provocative and alluring.
An intoxicating display of raw inner conflict, Restless Modern’s passionate new single “You Won’t” burns bright as the artist confronts the deepest, darkest parts of himself.
i’ve been feeling so small
and thinking in the same way
even i never believe
all the bullshit I say
like give up, you won’t
my path is holy
for the ones I broke
i swear i’m not sorry
Stream: “You Won’t” – Restless Modern
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/524302647?secret_token=s-ZPtWY” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “You Won’t,” the latest in a string of recent releases from Restless Modern. “‘You Won’t’ is about the times that I lie to myself,” Kieffer tells Atwood Magazine. “I have a lot of self-doubt, as was
obviously evidenced on my record “Doubt” that premiered a while ago on Atwood, but I also have an ego.”
“Doubt,” which premiered in April, found Kieffer struggling with insecurity through a soul-stirring delivery full of syrupy warmth. An aching cry for balance and reprieve from anxieties, the track is a fitting setup for “You Wont,” in which the artist is completely embroiled in this back-and-forth with his demons.
fuck up, i don’t
you think you own me
where did my life go
let me write my story
Kieffer continues, “I trust that I will sell out stages in the future, but I also find it impossible to believe that people enjoy listening to my records. I constantly want to give up, but I also know that I’ll actually just try until I die. So as much as I doubt myself and my abilities to make better and better records, there is something in me that believes in what I can do – and I need to trust that instinct. There is also, however, a price to pay for constantly working towards what is essentially a pipe dream; the opportunity cost is massive. That’s sort of what this song is about.”
‘You Won’t’ is about saying things you don’t believe and fighting for a dream.
Artists will bleed for their art, and from the looks of it, Kieffer’s going to keep doing what he’s doing no matter what. The 22-year-old can’t stop the stars from twinkling in his eyes, but what’s most apparent from “You Won’t” is his irresistible attachment to the art of making and sharing music with the world. Above and beyond the natural high one gets from releasing something of their own creation, Kieffer uses music as his release – a therapeautic outlet for stress relief, introspection, self-knowing, and more.
We hear him fall back and forth in sensitive lyrics that struggle with purpose and intent:
tell me they’re gonna
be in love, in love
give up you won’t
be great enough, enough
push it ‘til i break my mental
nothin’ if i do not make it
and i been on for years
i’m still here
and i been on for years
i’m still here
i bit on this shit like lockjaw
i wish i could quit and face it
and i been on for years
i’m still here
and i been on for years
i’m still here
Even I never believe all the bullshit I say.
It’s a long way to the top, and once you get there, it’s just as hard to stay there — but that’s not stopping Jack Kieffer from trying, or writing songs about the roads ahead and behind. Maybe “You Won’t” will be the song that changes his life; maybe it will be that “do not” enter key song. Maybe it won’t be any one thing at all, and instead a series of coalescing opportunities and right place, right time moments will buttress and jettison Restless Modern.
Whatever the case may be, the future is bright for this determined 22-year-old. Stream “You Won’t” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Stream: “You Won’t” – Restless Modern
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/524302647?secret_token=s-ZPtWY” params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]— — — —
Connect to Restless Modern on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
? © Restless Modern
