Propulsive and passionate, feverish and funky, paris_monster’s “Water to the Well” is a churning rush of musical and emotional fire: A smoldering dissection of clear communication and our endless internal struggle to connect with the world around us.
Stream: “Water to the Well” – paris_monster
It’s more than trying to do something right – it’s adding water to the well…
Brooklyn’s paris_monster are unleashed in the best way possible on their latest single.
Propulsive and passionate, feverish and funky, “Water to the Well” is a churning rush of musical and emotional fire; a smoldering dissection of clear, open communication and the endless struggle to connect in a positive, productive, and meaningful manner with the world around us.
I don’t need to see a picture
Of what is right in front of me
But it’s your right, so proceed
We’re tired, and it’s pointless
And your effort’s expended, but go on
The thumb of my left hand
relaxes my right hand
Her cold stare examines it all
The one peculiarity I see so incites me
You never either look about yourselves
At the pitch of the slope you’re on
It’s better if we let him,
better now, let him go, dear
A dear friend has opened his mouth
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Water to the Well,” the latest single taken off paris_monster’s upcoming sophomore album, Opalesce (independently out November 4, 2024). The Brooklyn-based duo of Geoff Kraly and Josh Dion, paris_monster are, like their name suggests, a blend of striking dualities: Of romance and indifference; of old-school charm and slick, modern cool; of smooth and distorted beats, intoxicating grooves and immersive, expansive musical worlds.
The pair’s musical output over the last ten years has run the gamut in sound and scope; they lovingly describe their music these days as closing the gap between synthesized sound and garage – “dirty, glitchy, lyric-centered, groove-based; solid earth and soaring soundscapes; a mass of noise.” With songs like “Water to the Well” and recent single “I Can’t Find the Moon” in their arsenal, paris_monster’s upcoming LP is without a doubt their most finessed work to date.
And may be wrong but won’t be sorry
Sorry shows me that below your surface
Care and worry have a history their own
Presently dissolved
“‘Water to the Well’ is a song about the difficulties of communicating openly with the people around you,” the duo tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s about towing the fine line between saying the right thing and overstepping bounds. Ultimately it’s about how successful relationships of any type benefit from two-way, open communication and not holding back in honest dialog no matter how uncomfortable it is or how unsure about your position you are.”
“The music is a blend of synthetic sounds and human performance. In fact, most of the drums and percussion were performed on real acoustic drums by dummer/singer/keyboardist Josh Dion, and then these performances were used to trigger sounds generated on a modular synth patched by bassist/synthesist Geoff Kraly. Gritty electric bass and soulful vocals balance and complete the sonic palette.”
“Our love of ‘70s funk shows up in the extended outro after the singing ends—it’s our “Part 2”. We wanted the music to coast here – it never explodes or goes over the top. It cruises. The surroundings glitch and crumble while the main groove of the bass and drums remain unaffected and unstoppable.”
“These things make ‘Water to the Well’ a good snapshot of a balance we were trying to achieve in the music on Opalesce: Lyric-centered and groove-based. Dirty and glitchy. Earthy grooves beneath soaring soundscapes. There’s a tension in these dichotomies that feels to us more like ‘balance’ & ‘coexistence’ than ‘difference’ & ‘contradiction.’”
And speaking for a moment
If I may, on your kindness
Never hesitation, never spare
But release and expose your love
Lay it all on me, and see my heart
And see my right hand unclench
Collect of your confidence and your calm
It’s better that she slither
Out the back of the nightmare
It’s better that we didn’t ever
Feign our excitement, we’ll go on
To battle back the landslide, babe
‘Cause he’s right there
Though right now, my brother, it’s hard
Communication may be a tricky beast – there’s no doubt about that – but “Water to the Well” flows effortlessly.
paris_monster demand our undivided attention with an intoxicating song that aches with sleek, suave sounds and clever, thought-provoking lyrics – all of which make for an entrancing, absorptive experience that leaves us breathless, dazed, and eager to hear more. Stream the Brooklyn band’s new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and be on the lookout or the full Opalesce album, set to release in early November!
Untimely? No, and don’t be sorry
Sorry shows me that below your surface
Care and worry have a history their own
Presently dissolved
Don’t be sorry
Pour unhurried, for before we surface
A friendship stirring, you’ve got to know
It’s more than trying to do something right
It’s adding water to the well
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:: stream/purchase Opalesce here ::
:: connect with paris_monster here ::
Stream: “Water to the Well” – paris_monster
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© Elizabeth Lauren West
© Elizabeth Lauren West:: Stream paris_monster ::
