Tim Young: Atmospheric rock meets alternative pop sound
Tim Young is a multi-Grammy certified vocalist, songwriter and music producer from New York City. Over the years, Young has had the privilege of working with the likes of Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Max Martin, Ashanti, Hugh Jackman and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to name a few. His atmospheric rock meets alternative pop sound, has been described as Lana Del Rey meets Journey, meshing atmospheric storytelling with aggressive audio production, to create something that is uniquely his own. His lyrics share brutally honest and tragically hysterical stories from his very colourful and very strange life.
Young’s latest single “Lavender” is an honest and personal recall of the beauty and anguish of a sudden and devastating breakup. Sonically, the track captures the intensity and complexity of an all-consuming relationship and the devastation that followed its demise, while the lyrics narrate a raw and emotional outpouring of the artist’s inner turmoil.
Young confides, “I was obsessed with this guy, and let my whole world revolve around him. I let him get so deep into my head that when he broke up with me on a whim, it broke my mind. I had a full-on manic mental breakdown which resulted in me seeking mental health care, where I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type II, something I had unknowingly struggled with my whole life. I learned that I was always coping with these intense polarity shifts. I thought it was normal. It took this extreme circumstance that pushed me to the brink to finally seek help. Therapy, medicine and music saved my life. I have a better sense of my identity than I ever have, and that is why I’m ready to share this music now.“
Written while stoned off of a lavender spliff, Young explains the meaning behind the lavender theme as he shares, “Lavender was inspired by my break up. In the way that I was obsessed with him, he was obsessed with lavender. He made his cologne out of it, he’d bathe in it, he’d smoke it. Everything about him, our time together, was wrapped up in that scent.”
Most of what you hear in the track is Young’s voice, from the rhythm and the harmonics to the effects, where his vocals are stretched, pulled and transformed into different, otherworldly sounds. This swirling amalgamation of sounds reflects how the artist was feeling during the song’s conception, with memories from his relationship playing at the same time on a loop in his mind. Emitting a frightening, beautiful choir of haunting memories, “Lavender” shimmers with ghostly vocals, helping the listener to appreciate the beauty of chaos, the gift of feeling pain and the vulnerability of being in love.
Having previously worked in Broadway, as well as the nightlife scene where he developed award-winning shows and became a sought-after performer for the top purveyors of city entertainment, Tim Young is now ready to delve into his venture as a solo artist. Released just in time for Pride month, Young adds, “Lavender is not exclusive to the gay experience, but it is my experience, and my experience is gay AF.”
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