Setting the tone with electronic keys akin to a house-synth energy, ILTON opens Doppelgänger with situational and metaphorical lyricism as he sings, “It’s Friday night, and my plans got all aligned, I got this honey, I’m gonna spend it all tonight…”
The opus expands into a vibrant synthscape with intricate vocal design as ILTON takes us on a playful dance-pop adventure, which even includes a Sophie Ellis Bextor reference. We love the chorus which switches to a more industrial sound with glitched EDM energy as Ilton sings, “Be a Doppelgänger and fuck up the bass…”
Speaking on the meaning of the track, ILTON confesses that Doppelgänger is “wrapped with introspective lyric that carry a message of authenticity while celebrating the ability to tap into the matrix of internet culture in order to fulfil a fantasy.”
The rising artist from New York expands, “There is a crisis and scarcity in originality with the current state of how we create. We recycle trends from the past and participate in the metaverse with hopes of a viral moment. We push our message by submitting to a copycat ideology, and as a result all these different versions of the same thing start existing.”
The high synths are luxurious and we appreciate the immersive nature of the production as it builds and climaxes. We learn that ILTON is an electronic pop artist based in NYC whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Greece at a young age to seek opportunities and growth in a new home. His first solo work was released in 2019 via Unisex Records and most recently his EP, POTENTIAL, was highly praised.
We appreciate the depth that Ilton shares with his immense sound design and profound message, and have added Doppelgänger to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream his wider discography including DEEP BLUE and Good & Gone.