The music of Rolemodel, formerly known as RLMDL, is often described as “dreamy,” “hazy,” “ethereal” — the list of adjectives with nods to the subconscious go on. This mood defined the pop-meets-shoegaze project’s 2013 full-length, Before Then Was Now, and continues on “Until,” an intoxicating new track that Flavorwire is pleased to premiere below, off the Toronto group’s forthcoming EP, Claire. However, Rolemodel leader Jordan Allen says that he’s been “trying to write a bit more within the ‘real’ world recently, so it will be interesting to see how those worlds collide in the new material.”
“I think the subconscious is where a lot of music comes from,” Allen continues. “I’m slightly obsessive when it comes to dreams and analyzing how they relate to life and emotions in the real world. Sometimes they’re really interesting and deep, and other times they’re hilarious and utterly ridiculous. Music is no different, in my mind.”
On “Until,” the subconscious seeps into instrumentation that finds a middle ground among the music of Portishead, Purity Ring, Beach House, and My Bloody Valentine. A voice calling from another world comes courtesy of Praises, the solo project of Beliefs’ Jesse Crow.
“What drew me to work with Jesse was that her voice has a certain life and personality to it,” Allen says. “It seems to convey a story in its sound that differs a great deal from other musicians in the Toronto scene.” (Plus, Allen adds, “There are elements of competition to [collaboration] as well, trying to one up each other in order to better each idea as it comes along.”)
“Musically the song has a very dark ’90s feel to it, especially the choruses,” Allen says. “I definitely had that sort of era in mind when recording it, and having Jesse’s vocals on it really brought it into that world. Lyrically, the verses and choruses each have their own separate emotion; one of them is obsessively saying goodbye to someone or something, while the other sees it as an escape, relieved that it (or they) are no longer part of your life now.”
Listen to “Until” below.
Rolemodel’s Claire is out later this week via Hand Drawn Dracula.