Rising solo artist Guy Blue, the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Jack Ladd, has dropped his debut single “No Vision” here at Ghost Cult. His new EP Arms Wide, is due out on June 3rd, 2022. Guy Blue’s ingenious writing style marries a classic Indie Rock/ singer songwriters’ self-reflection and unique observational storytelling, with samples, soundscapes, and cinematic motifs blended. Ghostly International’s Chester Raj Anand (aka Lord Raja) produced the track which shimmers and demands your ears’ focus.
Guy Blue commented: “I wrote No Vision when I was knowingly making a lot of bad decisions in my life. I was trapped in a self-destructive loop, and that spiraling momentum definitely found its way into the track. I think it’s a story a lot of people will relate to. We’re all compelled by destructive urges that have real consequences for those around us. There’s a reference to Tony and Carmela Soprano in the track. In the Sopranos, we see the horrifying consequences of Tony’s impulses, and yet he’s still an incredibly compelling and relatable character. I think it’s because seeing those darkest desires played out allows us to reflect on our own urges and actions. I hope the track accomplishes something similar.”
Photo by Alice Plati
Guy Blue Bio:
Guy Blue is a music project by Brooklyn-based songwriter and producer Jack Ladd. Ladd creates strangely danceable music by leaning into the fictive worlds we create for ourselves, drawing particular inspiration from the sonic and visual landscapes of 90s video games like Zelda and Pokémon that Ladd played during childhood. But rather than the melodic, 8-bit chiptune that you might expect, Ladd channels anxieties rooted in his relationship with video games, which has ranged from escapist enjoyment to something like addiction. If the original games suggested pleasant dreams, Guy Blue’s tracks are more like the nightmarish science fiction of Philip K. Dick and William Gibson, brought to life with the melodic yearning of Porches, King Krule, Alex G, and OTTO.
Ladd studied music at Wesleyan University, where he formed and fronted raucous indie rock quartet all-caps LADD, which quickly developed a devoted campus following. The group released two EPs and an LP, and went on to play showcases at SXSW and Sofar Sounds. Guy Blue marks Ladd’s transition to electronic music producer and solo performer. Ladd maintains his strong melodic pull, a hallmark of his songwriting, but is now free to explore a new palette of sound. The result is playful, jarring, and gloriously sad.
Arms Wide – Tracklisting
- New Pallet Theme
- No Vision
- Arms Wide
- Gutted
Follow Guy Blue:
https://www.instagram.com/guyblue_
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_JsSDCIPylZ95Q8xw19BBQ