Vancouver-based producer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist On Planets is making his debut on bitbird with new single “Don’t Think So Hard,” introducing his new musical direction exploring the realms between electronic and indie music.
Until recently, On Planets mainly focused on producing electronic music. Losing direction for a brief moment in 2018 fearing that would mark the end of On Planets, he took a break from the project to re-discover himself creatively, On Planets shares: “I made aimless music, exploring the curled edges of my musical lexicon, and I built my home studio up with random second-hand gear and DIY kits that I wired up myself. I played string parts for my friends’ albums, co-produced indie folk music, and played in a band for the first time since high school. I fell in love with quiet music full of texture, and juxtapositions of raw and refined: abstract, ineffable things that feel oddly informative and comforting amongst the absurdity of modern life.”
Naturally, all these new experiences sparked development in On Planets’ music. While known for his electronic productions, On Planets showed some progressions towards indie music with 2020 singles “S.I.H”, “From No Height”, and “Context”. With “Don’t Think So Hard”, On Planets completes this transition and officially takes the first step into this new musical chapter. With organic guitars mixed with layered electronic sounds, a beautiful vocal, and a well-written, reflective lyric, the chill but catchy alternative pop song finds itself right on the sweet spot between electronic and indie music.
As the title of the track reveals, the relatable “Don’t Think So Hard” is about not overthinking things too much, On Planets shares: “The title of this song is a phrase I often find myself giving as advice to others, despite that I’m notorious for overthinking and rarely practice what I preach. In creating the song, the irony was overwhelming at times as I re-worked and re-re-worked everything from the mix to the title. DTSH is a reminder not to constantly stunt your own progress with aimless perfectionism.”
With the first page of his new musical chapter turned, On Planets leaves us with an undeniable curiosity for what the rest of the chapter will bring. But for now, we’ll be leaving this one on repeat for a good while.