Daniel Alexander: South Londoner Challenges Society's Perceived Sense of Apathy on New Single

Daniel Alexander: South Londoner Challenges Society’s Perceived Sense of Apathy on New Single

South Londoner, Daniel Alexander, has released his latest single, ‘DOUBLEGLAZEGAZEDOWN’. The track flickers and pulsates with a palpable sense of alienation and frustration at the state of modern society, and at a time where the scale of politically influenced music is growing, provides an interesting alternative perspective.

‘DOUBLEGLAZEGAZEDOWN’ is driven by the perceived sense of apathy and acceptance of wrongdoing and injustice in today’s culture. Alexander implores, “how can you just stand their sipping on your drink,” as so much goes on around you as he grounds his work in the context of daily life, reflecting on, “addiction of yesterday is swimming in my head, surrounded by the energies of people drowning in the Med.” The spoken word sample of a woman pleading, “please don’t tell me that he’s gone,” evokes so many powerful images, allowing each listener their own interpretation, whilst maintaining the strong message of relinquished responsibility. He has been quoted as saying, “Apartheid palace walls collapse from the weight of youth in unison,” and it is this message of collective struggle and revolution that informs his approach to musical composition as well.

A pop track at its core, ‘DOUBLEGLAZEGAZEDOWN’ nonetheless challenges the traditional approaches to constructing a song, with much of the production comprising Burial-esque minimalism, before expanding into post-punk, alt-R&B and electronica inspired instrumentation. He uses the track’s lyrics to inform the structure of the song, considering them to be, “notes from the inside of a damaged machine,” as his voice crackles, rising and falling throughout the track, carrying the message and pained emotions with tangible authority.

Formerly a member of a successful indie band, Daniel Alexander’s current sound has evolved from moments of isolation and refusal to accept what he sees in daily life. His first solo release was ‘Trains’, released on Yuksek’s label, Partyfine. Whilst ‘Trains’ demonstrated Alexander’s fantastic vocal, ability for touching songwriting and the influence of minimalist electronica on his work, his artistic vision seems to have taken some real steps forward with his subsequent singles, ‘the moments u had but were never at’, ‘ATOM EYESD’ and ‘Chinooks’. These tracks are all united by a strong socio-political message and are accompanied by a powerful visual identity, presenting striking images to frame his lyrics and music, and add further depth to his writing. These releases suggest there is plenty more to come from Alexander, helping build anticipation for a full length release, marking him out as a potential breakout artist of 2017.

‘DOUBLEGLAZEGAZEDOWN’ is out now via French label, Maison Ainsi. Stream HERE.

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Words: William Sutton