Aquarium Drinker is a multidisciplinary artist whose upcoming album Disappointment promises to be a lovingly produced and sincerely sung contribution to the queer pop canon. In his debut single “By Design,” we observe a pleasing line to 1980s forebears—echoes of Arthur Russell in the deadpan-yet-emotive baritone vocal, and a persistent, urgent melancholy in the driving synth pop beats, the kind you find in Pet Shop Boys’ most effective tracks.
You might already know Aquarium Drinker from his popular meme account on Instagram, where he posts truthy, layered takes on human nature. Below, he describes what the upcoming album is all about.
Meme by @aquarium.drinker
“A lot of my songs, like my memes, are about being disappointed in others. This includes, but is not exclusive to, men I’ve dated. My new single “By Design,” and the album to which it belongs, Disappointment, are the result of a half decade of personal letdowns, disillusionments, and observations on the conditions that caused these failures to happen. My experience with both micro and macro-level issues and how they relate are captured in the album lyrically, as are hints at using the internet as a tool to make sense of the state of misfortune I’m surrounded by.”
Meme by @aquarium.drinker
“My creative process is always the result of somehow being able to salvage something good from something terrible. I honestly don’t have a lot of self esteem and feel like I’m not given enough general consideration by people I surround myself with a lot of the time. I also have a knack for holding onto friendships or men I’m dating for too long when they’re treating me poorly. It’s led me to some low points in my life for sure but instead of channelling that into something less healthy, I just create art and let those that care about what I have to say find me.”
“Lately, despite there always being some misses, there have been some hits. I seem to be at my best when I let my creativity precede me. Since being more active in queer spaces in Seattle, I’ve found people that follow my account and with that as an entry point in conversation, they end up as friends that are actually worth keeping around. Sometimes things just come completely full circle. Maybe I’ve turned a page and am starting to find those that are meant for me. Who knows.”
Watch the video for “By Design” after the jump, and stream the song on Spotify or Apple Music.
OMGBlog has the WORST taste in music – I’m always afraid of your music links because I know I’m gonna HATE it!!! 🙁 Bravo on the rest tho – I’m a long time follower 🙂