Drawing us in with atmospheric piano, natural bird sounds, expanding with dimensional percussion, cerebral vocal ad libs and the philosophical question, “Do you think it’s too late for me, am I just doomed to be the person that I am?”, cameraman opens xerox of a xerox with a holistic sense of intentionality – needless to say, we are captivated.
The opus evolves with psychedelic vocals, akin to how people might sound when one is tripping, as cameraman sings, “And it’s such a funny thing, watching the people you love do what you love, and what’s worst of all, you’ve been trying to change but you don’t feel like you’ve changed at all crashing out, in my room, I’m a little lost…”
We appreciate the switch up to a more organic vocal production, which fits the energy and authenticity of the follow up lyrics perfectly. In essence, xerox of a xerox is about the painful tension between who you are and who you wish you had become.
cameraman reflects on notions of wasted time, missed opportunities, and the frustration of watching others live out the dreams they once had for themselves. It captures feelings of suicidal ideation, jealousy, regret, and self-doubt. There is a sentiment of optimism that comes to light – a hope that it might not be too late to change and pursue the life that he still long for.
Speaking on the release, cameraman confesses, “This track was the result of a deeply rooted desire to express how difficult it can be to grapple with jealousy as a creative. Sometimes your idols can make you wish they were them and almost feel as though they mock you with their lifestyles as you still live a normal life. Trying to celebrate the music and enjoy it while struggling to resist the urge to take it personally. It contains my truest feelings as an artist growing up in an oversaturated world. I had a lot of fun crafting this sound and am very happy to be able to embody my feelings so honestly into a track.”
As for the production, the talented Canadian artist adds, “This sort of beat was inspired by the larger atmospheres of EDEN and the dirt and roughness of Tyler the Creator.” We can feel this manifest, but there is no doubt that what cameraman is creating is unique to his own design. We could imagine the track garnering an array of sync deals – perhaps an episode of Euphoria on HBO.
Naturally, we have added xerox of a xerox to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of cameraman, including tuesday, and ink & water.