TRACES has released “Before I Wilt,” the first track from his forthcoming second EP. The track, thick with Traces’ signature ominous vocals over a wall of distinctive electronic chirps, horns and melodic textures launched this morning on Spotify’s New MusicFriday, riding the jet stream of momentum created by his debut EP, Heart of Gold, the first of his EP trilogy.
TRACES on “Before I Wilt”:
“Before I Wilt is probably the first honest love song I’ve written. Typically, love isn’t a topic I cover often in my music because I haven’t had a lot of experience with it. I try to be present with how I’m feeling in everything I write whether it’s a positive or negative message, and this one came out somewhere in between. The idea is to hold on to something while you can. The verses are full of my insecurities while trying to find a willingness to overcome them. Vulnerability is an uncomfortable thing but necessary if we ever want to get out of our own heads and let someone else in.”
Called “passionate yet vulnerable at the same time” by Huffington Post, the debut EP inspired by a cornucopia of influences spanning from Indie-Pop, R&B and Hip-Hop to Classic American Soul and Blues. Reflecting the apprehension and anxiety frontman Tim Dehnert felt during his settlement in Los Angeles after leaving his hometown of San Diego, each track on the record reflects the optimism experienced in overcoming an overwhelming transition in his adult life. “Trouble in Mind” details the experience of overcoming others assumptions, “Majesty” on gaining control of your life, “Black Cadillac pt. 1” on isolation, and closing with “Haunted,” an account of realizing that we are helpless but not hopeless.
TRACES first burst onto the scene with a series of 2016 singes, “Share Your Love,” Do Better,” and “Hypnotized,” which have collectively achieved over 3 million Spotify streams, several million YouTube views and critical praise from Huffington Post, Ones to Watch, Substream Magazine, Earmilk, Milk, Neon Gold and more. His second EP will be released in Spring of 2018.