NASHVILLE, Tennessee— Nashville isn’t just country music’s town anymore. And as its burgeoning synthpop scene continues to expand with breakout acts the likes of Cherub and Wild Cub, Music City isn’t necessarily the indie rock homestead of Jack White and The Black Keys that it once was either. Enter in MYYRA (otherwise known as Paul Davidson), whose marriage of electropop, boutique synths coupled with alt/indie authenticity aims to take advantage of the musical melting pot that New Nashville has become. With his debut EP, Erase. Rewind. Restart., set to release on June 9th via Clowder Media, Davidson pays clear homage to Music City’s growing pains while cultivating a sound that is brooding, versatile, and uniquely his own.
A transplant by way of New York, Davidson set his sights on moving to Nashville as a way to hone in on his artistry. “There’s a great sense of iron sharpening iron when you’re surrounded by the high level of talent in this city,” he muses. “You’re forced to examine your art constantly and see if you’re pushing yourself in the way that you could be. Nashville has expanded my musical palette tremendously.” Partnering with producer Joshua D. Niles(Leagues, The Apache Relay), Davidson achieved his artistic whetting in a 6-song EP that is rich in mood and steeped in cinematic flair, drawing comparisons to both The National and James Blake for the album’s layered, seductive qualities.
All of the tracks, written solely by Davidson, are a collective reflection of their creator’s resonant, melancholy timbre and lyrical poignancy, yet each song seems to individually showcase a unique set of musical skills. Tracks like the driving album opener, “All About You,” bathe in Washed Out-esque synth vibes and accusatory surrender, while the slow-burning “Torches” aches in reverb-drenched melancholy and reluctant hope. Other tunes, like the seductive standout “Control,” flex Davidson’s vocal range by channeling Lana Del Rey in a James Bond dream sequence.
“All of the songs on this EP were written during a period of time where I was experiencing a lot of personal growth… sorting through self-doubt and struggling relationships,” Davidson admits. “There were a lot of scenarios or thoughts that I found myself continuously replaying over and over in my mind, and although that may sound like a good thing for the sake of processing, it really just became an unhealthy behavior for me. I got to a place where it was necessary to completely remove certain thoughts, activities, and people from my life in order to experience the renewal that I needed, and these songs were all an instrumental part of that process. That’s why we decided to give the album the title that we did.”
Although Erase. Rewind. Restart. may be across the board in musical inspiration, the album’s universal and almost elemental theme of creation, destruction, and rebirth became a process of self-discovery for Davidson in its compilation. And with his transparency on display for the world to see, the effort seems to have paid off.