Initially, Brevin Kim‘s new song “the wedding” is serene. The song begins with a guitar pluck, a disembodied howl, and the voice of a man singing, “Ain’t shit cool about falling.” The moment of tranquility lingers for less than 30 seconds as a sense of cascading doom teases itself on the horizon. Then the bottom drops out.
Screeching synths fill the vacuum, intense drums add to the discord, and the former ghostly voice comes to the forefront yelling, “Wake me up. I’m falling.” Sonically and thematically, the soft dreams give way to a brutal nightmare. It’s not the most delicate way to sell a song, but it’s all the duo needs.
Produced by music’s anarchic architect of the moment, Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, “the wedding” revels in a sense of dichotomy. The deep, guttural yells by the two Boston brothers are at war with the high-pitched howling of the main synth. In the brisk world that “the wedding!” builds, there’s a sense that no one knows where the chaos is coming from and at some point its better to succumb than fight it. It’s alluring.
‘The wedding!’ is one of four new tracks released on Monday as part of the pair’s new EP, cliff. It’s available now on all streaming platforms.