With a clear and concise message “to take time for yourself”, we have been immersing ourselves in the debut release from rising dream pop artist exitstands aka pianist, vocalist and producer Dave Asher.
The mood track features the introspective manifestation, “i just lie, here in my bed for a while” cohesively alongside bells, synths and rolling drums with crisp and ethereal vocals from the artist, all intertwined with poetic piano.
exitstands lived and worked in Europe for 5 years – after spending the first 21 years of their life in America. They discovered new styles of music from electronica to techno, but also gained an appreciation for music more generally, from the Beatles to the Chemical Brothers, and Beck to AIR.
Speaking on their inspiration, exitstands also takes inspiration from improvisation and improv comedy, “after working as a performer in Amsterdam for improv, I have built a career playing the piano for live improvised theatre. And that spontaneity and music of the moment helps me to create.“
exitstands lives with a mental health diagnosis of Bipolar 1 disorder, as well as being 5 years into recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, which has clearly helped them express their healing energy through music.
The single was recorded in their home studio in Chicago where Asher played all the parts and did all the mixing.
Speaking on the track, Asher says, “Here In My Bed is about the part of self care that includes taking time to just lie in bed, if that’s what you feel inspired to do that day. However hard you work on yourself… However hard you work on your craft, both pursuits can benefit from listening to your body when it tells you to slow down for a while.”
“During the pandemic my partner moved in with me. We were quite comfortable though, claiming different rooms for ourselves and going long periods of time staying out of each other’s way. She loved to relax in bed or on the couch, while I was in the studio. Her focus on “daydreaming” was a calming influence on the space. I learned that you can get a lot more done when you don’t force things.”
You can accomplish quite a lot from the comfort of your own bed, as exitstands explains on this project and trusting the flow of the universe is integral to peace and aligned forward momentum.