After two single releases back in 2021, Cures and Curses is back with brand new track ‘Tides’.
23-year-old vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Akpojaro is the man behind Cures and Curses, and from listening to the track you can hear how talented he is. Sometimes in solo projects, the music can go one of two ways. Either completely stripped back due to the lack of instrumentals, or completely mental due to having no-one to refine your artistic views. However, Aaron has managed to find the perfect balance.
Opening with a simple little riff, we are introduced to Aaron’s imposing sonic vocals which ring in your ear. You straight away hear those pop sensibilities, as he shows that he has a musical-mind within the first 30 seconds. Well structured and produced, the track has some wonderful bright instrumentals despite the dark-pop undertones of it all.
The chorus is energetic and almost takes you by surprise, as it attacks you with a wall of sound which I can only imagine would sound amazing live. You have the contrasts of Aaron’s high-pitched vocals with these really dark, jangly chords. This creates an interesting listen, and probably proves to be Cures and Curses best track to date.
Aaron himself commented on the track: “‘Tides’ is about being a work in progress. Being in limbo between where you are and where you want to be. Specifically for me, it’s about wanting to take my art as far as it can go. I don’t necessarily have a lot of people around me who are chasing the same thing so it can be hard to articulate sometimes. It sounds a bit backwards, but wrapping all this stuff up in imagery and fantasy actually makes it feel a bit easier to connect. I think, and I hope, that there are a lot of experiences that can be mapped onto what I’m saying in this song. Even though it’s quite playful and sarcastic, there’s some depth to it. It feels like a really great follow up to my last song – dark and dramatic, but a bit hopeful too.”
It’s great to see Aaron continue to drive the momentum which he picked up last year with this early 2022 release – hopefully we can look forward to hear more from him, and hopefully catch him live.