We Speak Music
Devin James Fry releases his post-pandemic masterpiece ‘Retrellion’
Devin James Fry is pleased to announce the release of his new album ‘Retrellion’ this April, 2023. ‘Retrellion’ is a departure from his previous sound, which typically featured him fingerpicking a guitar, either alone or in the context of Name Sayers, the adventurous psychedelic rock band he fronts. The new album, which was produced, recorded, and mixed by Fry, features punchy, hip hop-influenced songs that are difficult to classify into a single genre, with otherworldly synths and glitchy electronics throughout.
Early reviews have noted the shift. “Is this post-punk hip hop? We hope so,” wrote reviewer Layla Merino of yourEDM.com, noting that with Retrellion, “Fry might even be creating new genres.”
The album’s title reflects that it is the product of a time (the Covid-19 pandemic) when societal norms broke down and expectations could be set aside.
“I wanted a word that felt like both retreat and rebellion,” says Fry.
Thus, ‘Retrellion’ was born. Some songs, like lead single ‘Black Rainbow’, feature collaborations with rappers like Brooklyn’s Chris Conde and Denver-based rapper and circuit bender Otem Rellik, while others are solo explorations. All were created using a bank of synthesizers and noisemakers including ‘The Jitter Getter’, an analogue sound effects engine Fry designed and built himself, and which is featured in the video for previous single ‘Purple Glue’.
One song, ‘Ash Ode Variation’, is an adaptation of the poem ‘Ash Ode’ by Fry’s friend and hero, poet Dean Young. Fry enlisted the help of another of his mentors, Chicago flutist Lloyd Brodnax King, to create the song and sent it to Young, who replied to say that he was looking forward to listening to it.
Unbeknownst to Fry, Young lay on his deathbed at the time, and Fry is unsure whether the poet heard the song before he died.
The ‘Retrellion’ merchandise is as offbeat and finely crafted as the music, and includes a 180-gram LP, colouring books, incense, lathe cut 7” singles, soap, and matchbooks. Yes, anything seems possible in the world of Devin James Fry.
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
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