Boywithahalo is the moniker of Dallas based indie musician, fashion designer and artist, Jay Kang. On his latest release, ‘Summer we never had,’ Boywithahalo mixes elements of indie pop with classic shoegaze and even a little bit of that gritty grunge sound to create an incredibly unique and exciting sound. Yet another pandemic inspired tune, ‘Summer we never had’ reflects on the cancelled plans and dreams that the entire world had to endure. “Cancelled all my plans, stuck in my room and can’t seem to come out.” sings Kang. “Last year I was gone, this year ready for fun, what’s it all about?” Also known for his work in the Dallas hip hop scene, Kang concludes the song with a rapped bridge section that, while appealing to his former fans, will also invite new ones into his world.
‘Summer we never had’ is another superb track directly inspired by the global pandemic. The feelings of helplessness and boredom are all too relatable.
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
It is about the summer of 2020 and reflecting back on that weird time. Everyone had so many plans looking towards summer break and most if not all of them were cancelled as we stayed inside wondering how it could have been. As I was in China during the time, I experienced the initial effects of the pandemic firsthand and some of the lyrics are about the beginnings of social disconnection and other people’s phobias surrounding the virus and my race, something that eventually led to a massive rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes a year later.
What do you hope to achieve with this song?
I hope to reach a wider audience with a sound like this. I’ve been searching for my crowd in the Gen-Z indie scene and the best way I know how to do that is to echo my own experiences that kids like me can relate to while bringing a refreshing but throwback sound, something that recalls a bit of the nostalgic past but is completely new in themes. This song also helps me cover some ground for the 1st full-length album that I will be releasing later this year.
What are your favourite lyrics in the song?
The beginning lines were ad-libbed in while I was riffing melody ideas on vocals. I just rerecorded and kept it which started off the rest of the lyrics for me. The rapped bridge section has a lot of double meanings, wordplay and references that I’m happy about as they don’t sound forced and work naturally with the rock beat. Taking a few “falls” and being alone all “summer” – simple but keeps things interesting.
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This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
