withNme, DELINSTR* – withNme / DELINSTR

Review by Jamie Funk, Divide and Conquer - Indie Music Album Reviews (8/13/2020)
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"withNme is the latest musical project undertaken by singer/songwriter Jamie Salazar. He recently released a self-titled EP withNme that contains three songs. There are two remixes of two of the songs as well. He explains, “The name of the group and LP comes from a line from Lao Tzu's "Tao Teh Ching.” "How do I know about the world? By what is within me. This philosophy of self exploration and discovering the power of the one is a heavy theme in both the sound and subject of the songs.”

The music itself felt like a mix of pop and new wave. There are a lot of airy elements within the songs as well as strong vocal melodies that I felt defined the aesthetic of the songs. The first song is called “Early Girl” and you first hear the sound of a heavy heart beat. It quite suddenly transitions into a full arrangement of lush instrumentation. The feeling here is soft and reflective as he sings poetic lyrics. As the song progresses there are added elements that appear which increase the intensity. The low end of the drums is magnified and reverb laced instrumentation seems to surround the sonic space. “Window Sill” felt a little more on the nose in terms of the new wave flavor. It’s a really catchy song and follows a pop structure with a smooth verse and a chorus that pops with energy. Lyrically, it’s a mix of language. A little poetic, some of it’s straightforward and there is even some humor. My favorite line was “All of your whippersnaps became a cross in your lap / Iconic giant like Stay Puft.” “Skywalker'' begins with warm guitar and piano. The feeling here is more melancholy and all things considered I think this was the highlight. I thought the vocals were really well delivered and some of the additional layers give it a post-rock almost Sigur Rós type of quality.

The remixes are “Window Sill (DELINSTR Chasin' REMIX)” and “Window Sill (DELINSTR Chasin' INSTR)” which had old Chicago club type energy from a couple of decades ago that I’m old enough to remember. There are some solid songs on this EP and the production was top notch. I think many people will appreciate these songs. Take a listen."