We’re glad to announce that Baltimore, United States-based alternative rock artist Red Skies Mourning has released a new single, entitled “Paralyzed.”
Red Skies Mourning is the solo music project of Chris Aleshire, who has released several singles during the past year, such as “Signs from You,” “Reflection,” and “Light of Mine” (for which you can read our review here), in addition to frequently playing acoustic gigs.
Chris Aleshire (singer/songwriter) is joined by co-writer Ryan Curtis (accomplished Scottish singer/songwriter) and Cesar Da Emperor (producer/beatmaker signed to Dre London, Post Malone’s manager) on Red Skies Mourning’s latest single, “Paralyzed.” Describing the collaboration, Chris says, “I hired Ryan Curtis to help with a melody for ‘Reflection’ via Soundbetter. The vibe was so good between us, Ryan asked if I wanted to collab together. He then brokered a call between myself, Ryan and Cesar, and it went so well, we decided to go ahead and start writing some tunes together! So far with this release, we have 3 songs completed and two more on the way! With more to go in the future as well.”
While Red Skies Mourning’s first releases were influenced primarily by 90s grunge, “Paralyzed” sees the solo project incorporating altpop, pop, and hardpop sounds; and with pushing for a more modern tone, Red Skies Mourning’s influences have expanded to include a wide range of artists and genres that keeps growing, including Chris Cornell, Alice In Chains, Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Halsey, Imagine Dragons, Jonas Brothers, George Michael, The Weeknd, Marshmello, retro Nintendo/video game tones, and soundtrack beats (think Hans Zimmer).
“Paralyzed” was inspired by Chris’s experiences with sleep paralysis during REM that he had as a kid. Within the minute you fall asleep, you’re in REM; however, Chris would sometimes wake up mid-dream, seeing things but unable to run or move at all, since during sleep paralysis, your body is still asleep even though you’re awake. To help bring color to the lyrics, Chris took a trip to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, which is known for being haunted. Elaborating on the creative process and inspiration behind “Paralyzed,” Chris writes:
“Paralyzed is 1 of 5 songs (to many songs I hope) working with Ryan Curtis and Cesar Da Emperor on this totally new direction for Red Skies Mourning. It’s still the same feel as my others but a more modern push. For this song, Paralyzed, I asked Cesar to make the production dark and haunting, blend the references between Hans Zimmers (Pirates of the Carribean) with Castlevania. We are huge gamers and I’ve got the collection of Nintendo Power! haha. When the production was done and the melody was ready, I knew what I was going to write about (Sleep Paralysis during REM when I was little) but not quite sure how to paint the picture… so I took a trip to the Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia to get some inspiration and I did. You can look up that place on Ghost Hunters or anything on YouTube… it’s haunted. With that I got some ideas, wrote and sang! Out of the 5 songs we are working on, technically this is Song 3, but a fitting release for Halloween!”
The instrumental piece for “Paralyzed” was recorded at Cesar Da Emperor’s studio in LA, while Ryan Curtis recorded the melody at his house, and Chris Aleshire recorded the vocals at his home studio. The track was mixed by Jeff Kanan at The Keep Recording studios in Denver.
“Paralyzed” is introduced by a melancholic acoustic guitar melody, accompanied at the beginning of the track by distant, ghost-like howls and punctuated by sparse, echoing synth notes. As the bass and drums join in during the track’s lyrical passages, Chris Aleshire’s captivating vocals harmonize nicely with the guitar melody, the lyrics about his chilling experiences of sleep paralysis complementing the somber mood of “Paralyzed” quite well, and the bass drum resembling a pounding heartbeat towards the end of the verses. The percussion picks up in intensity and dynamics to drive the track’s catchy and compelling choruses; while an organ later adds to the track’s eerie atmosphere during the next verse and the spoken interlude leading to “Paralyzed”’s concluding chorus. “Paralyzed” is quite an enjoyable listen, once again demonstrating Red Skies Mourning’s brilliant songwriting and superb musicianship; I would highly recommend this track to fans of alternative rock and pop/rock alike.
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Spotify. You can also check out his official website. If you enjoy their music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, and, Alterindie State Of Mind.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via MusoSoup #Sustainablecurator