Jersey City band BLUEOX releases their debut EP of soulful, psychedelic, melody-infused rock n’ roll on November 20. Pre-save/stream it here: https://ditto.fm/fearless-blueox
With haunting melodies and bold lyrics, singer Kieran Sullivan delivers each song with captivating confidence, while producer and multi-instrumentalist Donny Dykowsky is a perfect complement to Kieran’s grit and melancholy as they both set the tone for a story-telling concept with themes of light and dark, the afterlife, and beyond. “In many ways, the original songs on this EP are the heart of this band,“ says Dykowsky.
“A musical odyssey” – Cryptic Rock
The band debuted four original songs “Walk Tall” and “Panic Attack” in 2019, and “Black Star Road,” and “Ten Feet Tall” in 2020, they also paid tribute to the Grateful Dead with the release of their video version of “Brokedown Palace.” Their debut EP begins with a Pink Floyd tribute of “Fearless,” “We added Fearless to our first live set as an encore. We figured if someone loved this Pink Floyd song as much as we did, they’d vibe with BLUEOX,” explains Sullivan.
The accompanying video was meticulously painted by hand, and in itself is an edgy and moving work of art, created by award-winning art director, animator, music video director Rohitash Rao. The animation was painstakingly culled together across more than 3,700 individual frames by award-winning editor Bob Mori.
The original songs on the EP are a trilogy that will satisfy even the most diverse musical palette. When asked about their original songs the band shared, their thoughts:
“The List”
“You can hear the echoes of our influences in this song. It was written and recorded in a matter of hours, and the session turned into a blurry party with friends singing and playing on the record,” says Dykowsky. “Donny had a beautiful chord progression laid out giving me a dose of confidence to dig deep lyrically and be the most vulnerable I’ve ever been on a record. The tension is soothed with the bridge and solo. Like Medication,” adds Sullivan.
“Whatever It Is”
“We weren’t precious with the performance, so it’s a beautiful thing to hear the energy of Kieran and I finding our footing on the record. The melody carries your ears over unexpected chords - the story is visual and haunting,” says Dykowsky. “This is the first song we wrote together. With Donny I found myself in a safe musical place to start unpacking some of the demons, and some of the angels I had on my back and in my heart,” Sullivan adds.
“Fly On”
“It’s a simple arrangement. A canvas for Kieran’s vocal, which is filled with pain and longing. There’s some truth to it, which makes the performance great,” explains Dykowsky.
From the visceral and melodic, to raucous and unpredictable, BLUEOX’s debut EP delivers an inspired set of songs that nods to rock’s past with fresh eyes.
