Close your eyes, take a breath and press play on Shreds, a track just under 6 minutes long , by Kyle Perkins. This Gloucestershire based musician has poured 14 months worth of love and labour into producing this track.
The opening seconds is almost an eerie entrance and feels both sinister yet Zen at the same time. A pattering drum picks the pace up underneath the melody which gets taken on by stretched out guitar notes.
Lyrically, this feels like a battle, a fight against being reduced to shreds and finding strength to rectify it and break down walls. The track is packed full of twists and turns musically, and a stand out guitar solo mid way takes the continuous background melody in a different direction.
This whole track is an “open conversation” with oneself, and the perspective shifts with the fluctuating frame of mind, hence the feeling of a battle. It is a battle, one a lot of us fight daily. A struggle against depression and letting people down. The powerful chorus is an honest declaration of how the negativity feels, with lyrics such as “and the medicine you gave me to fight off the feelings, I’m feeling the dread” being relatable to anyone who has to deal with the effects of the very thing that’s meant to help.
Vocals, instruments and even production is down to Kyle himself under the name of InSenState on Spotify. Only a few of the synth parts were done by Joe, a friend of his. This knowledge makes the quality of musical talent even more impressive. Kyle’s voice is full of feeling, it comes from the soul. The grit of the music elicits empathy and compassion for a difficult topic. It’s as heavy and deep and its partnering lyrics.
Each time I listened, a different lyrical line stood out to me. This.isn’t a track that sugar coats what depression deals with. It reaches deep. It gets inside a troubled mind, and the soundtrack emulates the pain, acting as an antagonist to help us feel and somewhat understand the turmoil.
“Crashed and he burned till the walls were stained scarlet”
Layered vocals in parts, add to the haunting quality of what is a track that packs a punch on every level.
By: Kate Ford