DeLorean Gray
Serene & sophisticated sounds are the audio styles that settle into the deepest embedded recesses of our consciousness. Taking this notion toward a retro-sci-fi themed conceptual vehicle is Atlanta artist Jacob Chisenhall, previously of Fake Flowers, whose new musical moniker is Delorean Gray who prepares to follow up Hokkaido Overwash with Star Tropics available January 26. Chisenhall takes the sublime remnants held-over from the Fake Flowers days & redecorates the elements of audio decorum to create a bigger & brighter sound that elaborates the previous aesthetic to greater echelons. The retro-timeless quality crafts not only sound to inhabit atmospheres, but also city spaces to intimate places of apartment abodes that serves as a soundtrack to further enhance the ecosystems of living rooms & bedroom domiciles alike. Delorean Gray is not just a time-machine pop vehicle of throwback prestige, but a mode of transport to an entirely new world of warmth & illustrious intimacy for the audience & artist alike.
Presenting the world premiere for the new Delorean Gray single “Magma Diver”, Jacob Chisenhall angles electronically-touched harmonies to carry the listener down to the song’s warm volcanic depths. A surreal scuba experience into the rivers of molten materials, Chisenhall navigates the song through a mesmerizing pop maze that borrows inspirations from the discography catalogs of folks from Brian Wilson, Animal Collective, New God, Dent May and all aesthetes that operate on the basis of innovative harmonizing. Chime sparkles lead the listener into the immersion of sun-soaked heat of synths, therapeutic rhythms & Jacob’s own holiday helmed vocals that coast outward like a tranquil raft adrift toward exotic new islands. The art & feeling of just letting go of the baggage & burdens of everyday life are illustrated in tones that take you to dreamy fantasias like a Pacific island postcard come to life. “Magma Diver” imagines the abandon of exploring seas & rivers of lava that lead the imagination to volcanic isles & destinations you have only ever seen in movies, television & travel magazines.
Describe the creative progressions & evolution from Hokkaido Overwash to Star Tropics.
When I was writing Hokkaido Overwash, I was still heavily invested in finishing unreleased the Fake Flowers LP, so Delorean was still very much a side project in my mind. And to that end, I tried to restrain a lot of my usual influences, and to create something murkier and less poppy than the rest of my output. When FF ended, I threw that kind of thinking out the window, and wanted to make the story and the music more bright, cohesive, and fully realized. The old EP is still cannon, but now I see it like a cold-opening (literally, its icy as hell), and I consider Star Tropics. to be the proper unveiling for the project.
Did the old Nintendo game of the same name Star Tropics inform the aesthetics of the new album in any way?
Yes, absolutely! StarTropics was a game that I enjoyed a lot as a child; The character Mike Jones was a perfect blank slate for me to insert myself into the game — and who doesn’t love cheeky science fiction tales with talking dolphins?
When I began looking for the inspirational outlet for the album, I wanted something very on-the-nose for the title. The game StarTropics immediately stood out to me, because it was the perfect nexus of space-age ideology, tropicalia, and the tones of retro gaming that have always inspired me musically. I also flourished a lot of the tracks with bit-crushers to pay homage to the story’s 8-bit archetypes.
In what ways has your previous work from Fake Flowers informed your music as Delorean Gray?
Well, originally I saw Delorean Gray as a way to escape the challenges of recording a band. I wanted Fake Flowers songs to have a very eclectic vibe, with a more traditional recording process—i.e. everyone in a room together fleshing out arrangements, but this became a lengthy and stressful process, and I was craving something more immediate. When starting Delorean I took the opposite approach, I wrote and arranged the parts myself. Likewise I tracked everything digitally this time so I could endlessly alter and rearrange things to my liking. So there are a lot of intentional differences I made between the two projects. But the largest parallel between Fake Flowers and this new record is definitely the vocals and the influence of The Beach Boys. Vocal harmonies are my favorite part of arranging music, so I wanted to bring that back full force for Star Tropics.
Describe the conceptual framework behind “Magma Diver”, the inspirations, execution, etc.
“Magma Diver” is about taking on great challenges and not buckling under pressure. This song is particularly anime influenced, as the title and central meaning are from a Neon Genesis Evangelion episode of the same name. Likewise, part of the lyrics are dedicated to Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho, who famously had to toil and push his body to the limit to complete his vision.
I wrote this song for myself after the end of Fake Flowers, during a moment of identity crisis where I did not know what I was going to do to preserve everything I had worked for. I didn’t see Delorean as that outfit yet, so I felt completely lost, and under great pressure to figure out a new identity fast, lest I be forgotten. (“I’ve lived so many lives, but will time still erase me?)
This ended up becoming a part of the narrative of the novel I’m writing, in a scene where Delorean and his counterpart Clare realize they are both aware of a dastardly plot that is threatening the paradise of Hokkaido IV.
Who are some fellow artists that you want to give a shout out to?
Michael Myerz, Joel Hardin (Stoic Club), Scooterbabe, Palm Sunday, Moloq, Freeman Leverett, Drew Kirby, Futo, and Jesse Mangum from The Glow Studio!
Most important areas of activism here in 2018?
On a local level, be a positive part of your music scene; and if you see or are aware of something that is wrong, you’ve got to say something! Nothing will change if people and bands stay silent in the face of abusive behavior.
Parting thoughts of wisdom & hope?
Listen to Taeko Ohnuki’s Sunshower, it’s the most hopeful thing I can think of.
Delorean Gray’s debut album Star Tropics will be available January 26.
Revisit the luminescent luster of “Chrome Bikini” that reflects with synth-set audio beams of beach kissed light for your mind, spirit & body.
