Race For Titles feat. Lipsticism

Fire-Toolz

November 16, 2022

Electronic / Ambient / Chillwave / Dream Pop / Emo / Experimental Electronic / New Age / Rock

Music video: https://youtu.be/Y4CVBIc2dBs Angel Marcloid & Alana Schachtel (Lipsticism) team up to bring you some "new age emo." 🤪 Angel has always been drawn to the keyboards & synths prevalent in the 80s arena rock & sophistipop ballads she grew up with, as well as the Weather Channel's brand of new age & ambient music that escorted her through her childhood. When she discovered the classic second-wave emo sound in the mid 90s, she would often ponder how well washy & sparkly textures would complement the style & sensibilities of the genre. "How fucking cool would it be if Mineral's Endserenading was doused in Korg Wavestation & M1 presets with the reverb all the way up? It would take away some of the rawness of it, but at the same time it would really enhance the emotion & dreamy quality that is already there. Mineral should've released a different version of that album with Davol and Enya as guest composers, & maybe Michael Omartian on the production." Race For Titles is named after a short-lived, virtually unknown Omaha emo band of the same name. Their self-titled record has always been an inspiration to Angel. Speaking of emotion & dreaminess, Lipsticism delivers absolutely euphoric vocals & poignant lyrics which penetrate the surface levels of the mind to express a burning desire to shine light on who we truly are underneath our titles & accolades. Which, for Angel, touches on the practice & philosophy of Atma Vichara (self-inquiry), made popular by Advaita Vedanta sage Ramana Maharshi (1878-1950). It is a meditative practice with the intention of discovering the essence of our true identity, which ends up not really being an identity at all, but more accurately the "I"-ness or "I Am"-ness that all of us are at our core. The lowercase-s self starts to be seen as a sort of illusion which manifests as the experience of manifestation (& could be said to associate with 'ego'), while the capital-s Self, the "I Am", begins to become clear. Lipsticism's expertise in ethereal dream pop (& dare I say "chillwave") immaculately integrates with Fire-Toolz's roots in emo guitar stylings, as well as her obsession with early Maxxess, Patrick O' Hearn, & Ray Lynch. Race For Titles is a shoutout to the B-side of Rush's "Time Stand Still" that was never written. With Angel's & Alana's powers combined, a transcendent rock & post-rock experience we are calling Race For Titles is born! Enjoy!