- Bryon Harris
Jayde - 'Transparent'
Danny Chavez aka Jayde is an Indie Rock artist from Phoenix, Arizona. Jayde learned music at a young age and, eventually, he wound up in a band touring the local Hardcore scene. His early influences began with pop-punk acts such as New Found Glory and Blink 182. He credits these early bands for his roots in alternative music. Over time his interests expanded. Gravitating towards new sounds like Turnover and Mac Demarco, Jayde discovered his ultimate calling as an Indie Rock musician, singer-songwriter. Jayde is fully immersed in the creative process. He arranges and produces his own music from start to finish, playing every instrument and over-seeing every nuance. Off his new EP ‘Holographic’ the song Transparent is a great way to introduce yourself to Jayde’s expansive talent.
“Transparent” is built upon clean and crisp rhythmic guitar, flowing lead guitar solos and precision drumming. The intro gives us eight bars of musical sophistication. The sound is immediately engaging offering up well-composed artistic content which commands our attention. The guitar work alone shows that Jayde gets into every detail of his playing by adding nice embellishments to the rhythm against the percussion. The guitar and percussion fit together like pieces of a complex puzzle that make a great picture as it all comes together. Overall, Jayde's arrangements take listeners to new places with each listen making for a song that you never get tired of hearing.
After the intro, Jayde enters the mix with a voice that is as pure and clean as the arrangement he is singing. He has a great tone and nice tenor timbre that could work with pop music, but has found a perfect home in indie rock. Sounding natural above the intricate mix, Jayde's vocals make the song easy to listen to. Please take a moment to watch the video of “Transparent” to hear all the elements of great indie rock come together.
“Transparent” is about living in your own skin and not comparing your life to those around you. “Hope you're having fun yeah its alright. I'll catch up with you when it's my time. Don't wait up for me, it won't solve a thing. Time moves slowly and I’m not complaining, I just want you to know some clocks run slow.” Jayde’s lyrics are at times very direct like in the line “I'm done overthinking and passing judgement so call me if you need me; I’ll be here waiting.” And at other times, his writing is colorful and poetic. “I used to feel so alone in these hollow bones. Now I’m a scavenger picking lavender and I’m the only one who knows where it grows.” This type of writing draws listeners closer. It feels honest and mysterious at the same time.
Kudos to Jayde for putting the indie into indie rock. From the beginning to the end, "Transparent" encompasses everything we love about this genre. It is unpredictable, creative, imaginative, engaging and meaningful.
For more information about Jayde, please visit him on bandcamp.