Dekovian Rashad unravelled the visceral fallout of romantic warfare in his latest single, ‘Torn’; a sonic storyboard of conflicted heartstrings, written through retro R&B aesthetics and polished contemporary production, as a courtesy of Thomas Coleman and Chris Byron, who stepped in to mix the scorned vignette of how serenades can all too easily lead to dodging grenades in the minefield of the soul.
The 23-year-old Athens, Georgia-based artist proves that when musical legacy runs through the bloodline, it ignites the creative spark until it starts an inferno. Raised in a family of musicians, Dekovian soaked up every note of soul, rhythm, and harmony from his grandfather and great uncles before finding his voice at seven and carving out his own blueprint in the genre. Inspired by the emotional architecture of Brandy, Aaliyah, Usher, and Tank, Rashad etched out his sound through the mould of tradition while letting his own vulnerability sculpt the contours.
With the resonance of the layered R&B harmonies and the guitar riffs that cut in towards the outro, ‘Torn’ carves through the decades while staying timeless. The outro sample of a voicemail saying, “I wish it was me”, amplifies the weight of the impassioned track, which effortlessly triumphs in illustrating how matters of the heart can swallow us whole.
‘Torn’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast