Last month, we introduced you lovely readers to 8000cc, the experimental rock project from Detroit-based artist and designer Kevin Kline, who brings his ideas to life with the help of UK producer Charlie Andrew. With the EP, what i really am, just around the corner, we’re bringing you back into the fold to marvel at the latest single ‘like a flower’. Running at an ambitious four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, this track gradually unfolds to explore the strength, versatility and power of femininity.
We all, regardless of gender identity or expression, have the ability to connect with our feminine side and thereby discover something new within or deepen our relationship with ourselves. As Kline himself explains, this track came out because “I was interested in exploring the idea of strength through femininity and all of the ways that could be expressed/received by themselves, lovers, loved ones etc etc.”
The opening of ‘like a flower’ is a noticeably hushed affair with a warm analog atmosphere and a measured guitar melody; it’s reminiscent of a melancholic flamenco piece, designed to spotlight a tragic female character. After this scene-setting introduction, the song bursts into life with a thunderous crash of drums and that guitar refrain firing up into a rock riff. Through this use of contrast, Kline conveys the multi-faceted nature of femininity.
As the track progresses, listeners are taken on an increasingly sonically extroverted journey where a swaying rock movement punctuated by psychedelic textures leads us to a cathartic zenith. Soaring over the dramatic soundscape, is the soaring lyric, “like a flower, she will bloom.” With the stacked layers of guitars, vocals and rhythmic elements, it’s clear that Kline wanted to make an impression not of floral fragility but instead of blooming intensity.
You can also listen to ‘like a flower’ in our Indie Rockers playlist.
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