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Damian Wilde is a musician from Cape Town. Going solo after being a part of the band The Red Underground, Wilde has just released his new five song EP, Nouveau Noir. Its stark and minimalistic cover reflects the music found within. Wilde was raised by his single mother who worked in a psychiatric hospital, and his home was constantly filled with recovering schizophrenics and manic depressives. It’s this kind of atmosphere and reality that comes through in every aspect of his music, from the simplistic dark tones of the music to his brutally and emotional honest lyrics.
The opening song “Umbrella Co.” seems to perfectly describe the feelings of someone struggling with depression or bipolar disorder, chronicling the hopes and highs of the future marked by the crippling lows of the present. “Green Mile” also represents this constant shift of emotions with lyrics like “How are you feeling today?/Fucking fantastic, I’m dying tomorrow.” Wilde’s stark piano arrangements not only open the doors to his lyrics but allow a fuller glimpse in his psyche, sounding like an alternate universe in which Daniel Johnston listened to Motown instead of the Beatles.
It’s heavy stuff, but it’s also powerful. Nouveau Noir doesn’t offer any answers, and the mood doesn’t get any happier as the album progresses—in fact, one can argue it’s a downward spiral of depression represented in song, but it’s so rare to hear someone write this honest and truthful. It may be too heavy of a record for many people but if you’ve ever been in a similar mood or currently are, Wilde’s unique presence will make a lot of sense. You might even find solace in his voice.
