Establishing the mood with an ethereal piano soundscape and a reverberating, almost mediative vibe, expanding with a luscious guitar performance and textured drums, Kadjavsi opens So Arbitrary with a brooding vocal and the lyrics, “And I see you in a room with no view, darker than red, brighter than blue…”
The opus expands with poetic prowess and astral vocal riffs – haunting and elegant, before the chorus. The overarching nature of the piece taps into a psychedelic indie-rock frequency. We are captivated by the vocal performance and the high emotional quotient that manifests.
So Arbitrary is perfect for a range of sync deals – perhaps a coming-of-age movie or TV show, an episode of Euphoria on HBO, or possibly Ozark, Peaky Blinders, or The Handmaid’s Tale. The instrumental solo featured an evocative piano performance and trippy percussion elements before a luscious finale featuring the title of the track, once again showcasing lead singer, Nikita Dembinski‘s transcendental vocal range, particularly his falsetto.
There is no doubt that fans of Radiohead, James Blake, Squid, and Fontaines D.C. will be able to connect with the cinematic, stirring and introspective track from the Bucharest-based project. We learn that Kadjavsi features Laura Benedek on bass, Lucas Contreras and Luca Calaras on guitars, and Horia Stanciu on drums. So Arbitrary was produced in collaboration with Marius Leftarache at Avanpost Studios.
Behind the music, there lies a deep creative journey. So Arbitrary took eight months to complete, as Nikita searched for the song’s truest form. Speaking on its message, Nikita confesses, “I think the sincerity of the main riff of the song really makes you think, should you let that sink in. Life is fragile, and this song is a love letter to that very specific feeling. It’s amazing how much time it took to finish the song – everybody involved heard the potential in it, which created huge expectations, so I wanted to honour that by really giving time and letting the song come to me rather than trying to force it out of it.”
Kadjavsi recently performed their new album, Above Albatross (also our today!), to a packed crowd at Bucharest’s iconic Club Control, closing with So Arbitrary, which, to no surprise, earned a standing ovation and left fans wanting more!
Naturally, we too are in awe, and have added So Arbitrary to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the entirety of Above Albatross, and the wider discography of Kadjavsi, including New Sand, Same As Before, and True Defective.