there is a world that we cannot see / open the door and try your best to realize / you need your heart broken to open your eyes / death is here now it doesn't want to hurt you
we were levitation out of their view / but only for a moment / the earth raced up to greet me and you / as a bat infects a vector / a celebration ends in blazes / and a man goes limp, face pressed to the ground / the life i want to lead / tucked behind your eye / nothing i want to see / without you by my side / so now i wake and greet a rebranded hell / trapped here in my limerance / from here one can hear what i say / distance learning by coercion / as the pressure keeps on rising / and i swear i've never felt so alone / all the behemoths deep down in the sea / drifting glacially / all of the babies up in NICU / sleep so preciously
The self-titled split release from Bermuda Teenager and opulent ardor is perhaps best understood as a direct reflection of the times in which it was created. The two musicians made plans in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to quickly record and release a collaborative EP, but what was supposed to take only a matter of weeks ended up taking over a year, just like how initial estimates for the length of the pandemic were given in weeks, but here we are.
As the pandemic unfolded, the very fabric of society seemed to unravel as the deeply racist and oppressive nature of the American system became completely impossible to ignore. All four tracks function simultaneously as commentary on, and escape from, the dystopian air of the pandemic: “Quarantine Dream” is just that, an expansive, dreamlike respite from the confines of quarantine. “Distance Learning” is a classic pop tale of heartbreak set against an apocalyptic backdrop. “I’ve Been Having These Thoughts,” with it’s evocative vocal samples, soaring synths and aching piano melody, so perfectly captures the feeling of staring out the window in the early days of quarantine, longing for any type of reassurance that everything was soon going to be okay. “Radical Acceptance,” named after the DBT concept created by Dr. Marsha Linehan, is a 7 1/2 minute instrumental epic that moves from Gas-inspired lilting forest ambience to Lynchian gothic chamber pop, as if the song itself was forced to radically accept some deep, dark truth of the universe.
Clocking in at over 20 minutes, Bermuda Teenager / opulent ardor is a generous labor of love between two close friends, the final physical form of the fear, isolation, heartache and bewilderment felt by the pair of musicians since the start of the pandemic.
credits
released September 10, 2021
"Quarantine Dream" & "I've Been Having These Thoughts"
written, recorded, and mixed at home by Bermuda Teenager
"Distance Learning" & "Radical Acceptance"
written, recorded, and mixed by opulent ardor
May 2020 through July 2021
Mastered at Amber Lit Audio by Matt Ten Clay
Photography by Bermuda Teenager
Album Layout and design by opulent ardor
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