Music

“Dead Summer,” A Nostalgic Yet Contemporary Take On The Struggles During The Pandemic

The sun is shining, but people aren’t outside trying to take it all in. Everyone is confined to their homes. Crows are circling in the distance; something must be dead. If you ask Levi Zadoff and Dead Hendrix, it must be the summer.

“Dead Summer” is a joint EP by these two artists about the psychological effects of COVID, which can still be felt even today. “Dead Summer” represents a time when everything slowed down, and what would have been an enjoyable, fun time was anything but that.

Levi Zadoff is a pop-punk musician based in Los Angeles who believes in maintaining a sense of freedom in his artistry. His inspiration comes from pop-punk artists like My Chemical Romance and Nirvana. Dead Hendrix, whose name also fittingly represents his psychedelic sound, is a punk artist based in Canada. He covers true-to-life topics such as drug abuse, heartbreak, insecurities, and trauma in his music.

With a fusion of punk, pop, and rock, Dead Summer takes us through Zadoff’s and Hendrix’s thoughts as they process the pandemic. Love Game and Alone talk about the rabbit hole that has been sitting in your thoughts for too long. Love Game leans towards hard rock. It is loud and aggressive, and the drum chops used at the end give it a strong finish.

Alone is mellower with heavier lyrics; “Yea, I am numb to the core… I’m getting kinda tired of getting stoned and kinda tired of being home.” It is that gnawing feeling of no longer enjoying things that used to make you happy. The song also has some hints of EDM to it, especially with the bass drops and looping in the chorus.

Cant Be God has the most summer feel in the EP. It sounds easy and light. The instruments are muted and alternate between a subtle guitar riff and simple piano chords. They sing, “If I make my bed, I lie in it,” a willingness to accept whatever comes your way.

Dont Think It Could Get Much Better takes a satirical perspective of Dead Summer. Of course, things will get much better, but before they do, Hendrix and Zadoff allow us to wallow in the feelings of things worsening.

Hendrix and Zadoff have added the song Teenage Dirtbag as a bonus track. The sound is nostalgic, with guitar melodies that sound like they were made over ten years ago. The song is about missing someone, but you decide to stab them since you can’t have them.

With Zadoff and Dead Hendrix based in different countries, Dead Summer was created virtually. However, it’s hard to tell. The two bounce off each other’s sound well, making for a cohesive sound. Furthermore, the transition between different song styles is smooth, making for a trippy and enjoyable listen.

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/7v9FFhJrHoLLDiuNOIXy1H?si=vCrWap8nS8S6zM4iOJHFpg

Distrokid:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/deadhendrixandlevizadoff/dead-summer-ep

Levi Zadoff Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/levizadoff

Levi Zadoff Website:

https://www.levizadoffmusic.com/

Dead Hendrix Instagram:

http://www.instagram.com/talk2thedead

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