‘Graffiti Welfare’ steps into the Avant-Garde unknown through his experimental meditative album ‘Revolving Shores’ out now.
Far from an amalgamation of singles sitting together alienly within an LP, Graffiti Welfare’s debut alt psych-pop album, Revolving Shores, is a tight-knit construction of experimentally composed singles that gel together to tell an anxious coming of age story. Inspired by the catharsis of Tame Impala, Animal Collective, and Floating Points and tinged with the timeless appeal of The Beach Boys, Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd, Revolving Shores constructs a synthetic plateau; poised for optimistic introspection.
The LP molds trippy textures into entrancing ensembles with glitchy electronic rhythm and just enough vocals to bring humanistic warmth to the dynamic pieces. The lead single Just Follow is a contemporary space oddity that shimmers with luminous reverb and cushioned discord around the vocals as they ethereally project into the mix, amplifying the sense of anchor-less dissociation around the Radiohead-Esque percussion.
Other standout singles in the sweetly tempered release include the Lynchian lo-fi lament, Volume, which satellites around our tendency to use Netflix as a pacifier and some funky Nile Rodgers chops. Followed by Synesthesia, a reminiscence to early Interpol alchemy, spliced with Leftfield electronica beats around blissful melodies.
Graffiti Welfare said:
“Revolving Shores grew out of the feeling of helplessness as my childhood faded and grandparents passed away while I was coping with coming-of-age anxiety. By day, I was trying to finish my thesis and escape the clutches of graduate school with my sanity intact. By night, I was trying to make sense of it all by recording something sincere, unique and tangible. Each track layers a lucid perspective onto the last, guiding a quiet meditation towards the unknown, before returning to waking life. Rinse, float, repeat – cause who knows where you will wake up next?
Amelia Vandergast, Executive Editor at A&R Factory said “Despite the experimentalism between the alt electro soundscapes, nothing about Revolving Shores feels remotely abstract. The sense of listless loss is laid into the kaleidoscopic grooves like concrete. In 2022, there are few better ways to sonically inject a
little colour into your soul.”
More Graffiti Welfare history
Graffiti Welfare is an Austin-born, Denver-based artist, who made his debut with the release of his EP, Into the Soul of Space, in August 2016. His journey as a bedroom artist began from a fascination with Tame Impala’s Lonerism and the purchase of a used Roland Juno-G. After making the switch to Ableton, he took in new scenery in Colorado, where he moved for grad school and released his debut, picking up plenty of traction on meditative playlists. Shortly after his debut, Graffiti Welfare was noticed by the
indie Italian record label, MilleVille Music, who is currently promoting and distributing Grafitti Welfare’s music across Europe.
Graffiti Welfare, aka George W Lattimore, is a Denver-based alt psych-pop artist whose music captures the essence of coming-of-age in the 21st century, conveyed through an experimental and introspective lens. His debut album, “Revolving Shores”, weaves together a narrative of uncertainty and introspection that powerfully transports and resonates with his listeners.
Graffiti Welfare’s journey as a bedroom producer began after acquiring and experimenting with a used Roland Juno-G. After moving to Colorado for grad school, he switched to producing in Ableton, and released his debut EP, “Into the Soul of Space,” in 2016. His music has since caught the attention of indie Italian record label MilleVille Music, and he has gained global traction on meditative playlists.
Graffiti Welfare has drawn inspiration from a range of artists, from Tame Impala to Pink Floyd. In “Revolving Shores”, he explores the unknown, meditates on the fleeting nature of life, and pays homage to his grandparents, who passed away during the making of the album.
Despite the lush, experimental nature of his music, he is able to convey concrete meaning. Through the use of luminous reverb and ethereal vocals, he makes his audience feel that they are floating in a psychedelic tapestry of sound, evoking a sense of detachment and dissociation. Through his transcendental music, he captures the feelings of being human: the anxieties of entering adulthood, disillusionment, nostalgia, cyclicality, and catharsis.
INTERVIEW
Can you please tell us more about your journey?
“I’ve always obsessed over music and followed very specific artists as they grow – Say Anything, Weatherbox, Animal Collective, Tame Impala, Floating Points, Youth lagoon, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, etc. Eventually, I had to make my own stuff and then, couldn’t stop recording once I moved to Colorado and finished grad school at Colorado State. Fast forward 7 years, and I’ve got Revolving Shores published everywhere with 3 music videos. Needless to say, I’m very excited by the fanbase growing this past year with the album release, and am starting to record the next album with new gear”.
Please tell us more about your new album ?
“Graffiti Welfare is the solo project of Denver-based artist, George Lattimore. Featuring my late grandmother and oldest brother on the cover, Revolving Shores is an album as personal as it is experimental From ambient to electronic, from minimalistic pop to hyperbolic psychedelic, consciousness is spinning through the wheels and reflecting off the waves. Who knows where you’ll wake up next? Just rinse, float, repeat. Recorded and self-produced at home as a personal project for 5 years before being mastered by The Wheelhouse Studio in Golden, Colorado, Revolving Shores is a cosmic washing machine of pop nostalgia for the wandering soul. “I wanted to hear an album that I could just press play on and do work or read or sleep or smoke, you know? Something seamless that blends genres of familiarity with unique experimentation”.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Bold experimentation in recording and mixing. I create dozens of versions of every track before cutting back to a final mix. For promotions, it takes a lot of work to find the right audience, but it’s worth it.
Any message for our readers ?
I’ve learned to experiment, rinse, and repeat. Believe in yourself, and focus on what you love about making music. I try to not worry about anyone else when recording and mixing, cause that can cloud your judgment. Explore, record, share, and keep digging for your own sound. You’ll know it when you hear it“.
Graffiti Welfare’s lead singles, “Just Follow” and “To Be It (ft. Alan Watts)” take listeners on an exploratory and cathartic journey, reminiscent of Tame Impala’s “Lonerism”. The album opener, “To Be It” features a hypnotic tribal beat, gloating piano, spacey electric guitar, and a deep Alan Watts quote, is a fitting introduction to “Revolving Shores”, which explores energy, reincarnation, and nostalgia.
Throughout the album, Graffiti Welfare explores the deeper meaning of life, in part as a result of losing both his grandparents during the recording process. The album’s art depicts his grandmother listening to a seashell; the album ends with a return to the beginning, with someone new listening to the seashell.
How would you describe the lead single off the album ?
“There are states of consciousness in which you can listen to sound and realize that that is the whole point of being alive.” In “To Be It (ft. Alan Watts)”, the lead single off of Graffiti Welfare’s concept album “Revolving Shores”, the artist explores this Alan Watts quote as a means to exploring life itself.
With its hypnotic looping and dazzling tribal beat — layering piano, electric guitar, and the famous eastern philospher’s quote — Graffiti Welfare’s track is a fitting introduction to an album exploring nostalgia, energy, and reincarnation. In “To Be It”, George doesn’t just showcase his talent as a producer and composer, but truly takes listeners on an exploratory and cathartic journey, reminiscent of Tame Impala’s seminal work “Lonerism”. In the course of recording the album, the artist suffered the loss of his grandparents, leading him to search for deeper meaning and explore ideas of continuity and cyclicality. The album art displays his grandmother listening to a seashell; the album ends with a return to the beginning, depicting life starting again and someone new listening to the seashell”.
Fantastic! So tell us, how can people find out more about you ?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graffiti_welfare/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73UZpUQqutfyiTjQXwst8j
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@graffitiwelfare/videos
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/graffitiwelfare
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/graffiti-welfare/1153060353
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B09TBH2KDR/graffiti-welfare
