Step off the beaten track of bedroom-pop a little and you’ll find Orlando, the young artist and producer who has released his debut EP, titled Nike’s And Dandelions. Certainly, it’s one for fans of Rex Orange County or Ruben Dawnson, who we blogged about recently, due to the lofi pop style and his chit-chat narratives discussing love, loss and heartbreak.
It’s teen angst for the Y generation, layered in amongst the woozy melodies, the raw recordings, and deft touches of jazz and pop.
The EP opens with ‘Purple Corduroys’, a jazzy number of synth keys and liberal reverb and Orlando’s voice adrift among the romance of it all. From this loved-up optimism, we’re led by the hand into succeeding track ‘Jupiter’, a melodic look into anxiety over the future. He sings of his friends getting married but still finding himself alone, of fear of flying, of all the bad luck he perceives in his life. Thirdly comes the brilliantly titled ‘Kanye Owns The Moon’ which continues the theme of clairvoyance over a chunky keys and yacht-pop beat loops. This time around he counters his unfaltering nervousness with his own spin on “when pigs fly…” predictions. Essentially, when Kanye West owns the moon will be the day that Orlando is living the high-life of Hollywood dreams. Throughout each of these, we enjoy the playfulness and honesty of Orlando’s chats over mental health and the endless pursuit of love. It makes it even more relatable as the artist tries to laugh off his insecurities over those delicious bedroom-pop productions.
To wrap up, we turn to the first line of closing song ‘Sadboi’ that sums Orlando’s experience up perfectly: “Honestly, I don’t know how I fucking feel, / Misconstrued emotions and I think that they’re real.”
Listen to Orland’s Nike’s And Dandelions EP in full below.
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