Drawing us in with astral bell tones, ethereal vocal expressions, textured yet melodic percussion motifs and an overarching dimensionality, expanding with an immersive synth and meditative allure, torched porsche opens empty hands with intricacy and a unique, almost avant-garde perspective.
The opus expands with a spoken word delivery, intertwined into the main body of the piece as we experience an introspective, cerebral energy. In essence, the song is about the fleeting nature of human existence. It taps into notions of the things we leave behind – our legacy.
We learn that it is inspired by the legend of Alexander the Great and Percy Bysshe Shelley‘s poem Ozymandias. The artist behind the torched porsche project – also known as Joel Keitner – explores how empires fall, rulers disappear and power eventually loses its meaning, whilst the art and architecture created by humanity can endure for centuries.
We love the philosophical depth here. Joel shares, “Our lives are fleeting but the art we create can last forever. It’s something we leave behind. It gives our lives meaning and permanence. The idea of the song is like Ozymandias coming upon an ancient temple with words and a statue of a ruler from the ancient world who was an important figure then but now irrelevant. The only thing that lasts is the temple, the words, what was created. Longer than an empire. Ideas, words, art. This is what lasts. We come and go with empty hands but what we create stays!”
There is something quite humbling about the idea that we arrive in this world with empty hands and leave in exactly the same way. Yet what we create can continue to exist long after we are gone. It’s intelligent song creation and would fit well for a sync placement in Gregg Araki‘s recent film, I Want Your Sex, which was set in the art world. We could also imagine the track in a show like Severance, or Nine Perfect Strangers.
The melodic expansion of the track is sublime and the repeated vocals resonate like a hypnotic mantra. Fans of Miike Snow, The Neighbourhood, Maribou State, Glass Animals and M83 will be able to connect with the blend of dreamy electronica and cerebral storytelling.
The Toronto-based producer writes, performs and produces his own material from his home studio. Having spent the past decade developing his craft, including time with the band closely, he now introduces a wider artistic vision with the forthcoming ten-track album art lovers. Each track is intended to explore a different art form, with empty hands turning its attention to architecture.
Needless to say, empty hands leaves us contemplating our own place in the passage of time. We have added the track to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of torched porsche and explore his music videos.