Photo Credit: Aaron Crossman
The UK’s Astronomyy has dropped a new single, “Flamingo.” Written, performed and produced in its entirety by Astronomyy (aka Arron Davey), the track is released on the label he founded in 2015, Lunar Surf. Lo-fi beats and organic percussion brush up against a falsetto hum and the hypnotic hook, “She’s like a flamingo…she belongs in the wild.”
Astronomyy notes, “I had this idea somebody can be like a flamingo. A flamingo is very pretty, but if you try to cage it, you realize it’s a wild animal and shouldn’t be contained. It’s also tongue-in-cheek and pokes fun at people in Britain, because ‘Bird’ is a slang word for ‘Girlfriend.’ It’s the first song I wanted to share with the world in a couple of years, because it’s got so many elements that represent me. It’s moody, it’s broody, it’s weird, it’s funky, it’s textured, and, it’s also quite pretty.”
“As for an August 30 release Davey says, “I’ve always been obsessed with space and as I’ve spent the last two years rebalancing myself and my sound, it seemed only right to release the first single under a new moon. Which also happens to be a super black new moon.”
“Flamingo” is the first bit of music Astronomyy has released since his 2017 “Rest In Paradise” 12”. Davey first made his mark in 2013 when he quietly patented a singular style of guitars fused to R&B beats embodied on his early Soundcloud upload “Don’t Need U.” As the track went viral, he landed a major label deal which, though wasn’t a perfect fit did enable him to build a home studio.
A pair of EPs—There For U and When I’m With U—followed. At the same time, he established himself as a sought-after collaborator. He co-wrote the triple-platinum international smash “Never Forget You” for Zara Larsson and MNEK. Around the same time, Hilly Dilly shared “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish, and Arron found himself constructing his own subtle edit. This remix eventually toppled 100 million streams as his original compositions exceeded 40 million by 2019 and earned him praise from the likes of Noisey, Line Of Best Fit, IndieShuffle and Earmilk.
Following “Rest in Paradise” he decided to take a sabbatical. “I was overwhelmed by the industry,” he admits. “I never got into this for money; I just love creating. I decided to put my head down and lock myself away in the studio for as long as it took to re-ignite the fire. I had to ignore other people and really feel it for myself. My life was imbalanced, and I needed to focus my headspace. I started physically working out. I feel like a much more balanced person now. I’m finally I’m ready.”
“I’m focusing on moods now,” he explains. “Before, I was trying to paint a perfect picture. I wasn’t allowing the chaos to exist in my songs, but I’ve welcomed the contrast. There’s a yin and yang. The new music has duality. There are a lot of raw and natural performances. There’s variety in tone. It’s wavy and it has more depth. It just comes with trusting my instinct and my ears. If you strip something of its flaws and fix every blemish, you take away the character, so I backed off from the polished sound.”
Beyond his work in the studio, Astronomyy continues to evolve by DJ-ing. Requested for gigs everywhere from the UK to Indonesia, he expands his sonic arsenal with every set. “Watching DJs control audiences over the past few years made me realize that it’s something I’d love to do,” he adds. “What I’m working on with Astronomyy is becoming more DJ-able. I’m focusing more on the groove and I’m looking to incorporate as much as possible into what I do.”
“Flamingo” is just the start of this new chapter for Astronomyy — watch this space for more music and news!
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