Damien Q – “Human To Human”

Damien Q – “Human To Human” – Single Review

I’m not 100% sure if anyone out there is taking an official vote on this right now, but just in case, I’d like to put forth my nomination for Damien Q being one of the most fearless artists out there in the scene today.  For real…this dude has a freakin’ fantastic attitude and approach towards making music, and the freedom of creativity he allows himself within the art & craft is always radiantly apparent in the results.  We’ve already heard all kinds of vibrantly different ideas, sounds, and styles in listening to Damien Q and collaborations he’s been a part of through various singles…each tune he puts out really has its own vibe, personality, & character…and he’s back with one of his best to-date with “Human To Human.”

There is a ton working in Damien Q’s favor when it comes to his latest single.  The ears on your face will tell ya the same things as mine did on the first couple spins I’m sure – “Human To Human” is built around a very anti-typical sound, but a fully gripping and engaging one – the kind of structure that has you instantly locked on to the uniqueness you’ll find, especially when you factor in the performance, which is flawless.  You’ll notice the wild vocal melody that Damien Q creates and then fully executes on – it’s both an extremely challenging part to sing, and wonderfully entertaining to us as listeners as a result of the impressive versatility it takes to pull it off.  The man deserves a lot of credit for finding an extremely compelling way to sing this new song of his; I haven’t heard his entire catalog as far as I know, but I’ve certainly heard my fair share of Damien Q’s tunes & can vouch for the fact he’s at his best here.  He sounds inspired, committed, confident, stylistic, and right on-point for where your ears would want to find him all throughout “Human To Human” and gives the words he’s written the performance they deserved.  Which brings us to yet another massive positive dimension of this latest single by Damien Q – the lyrics are powerful, effective, and entirely relevant for the right here & now – this clever cut is a topical & important look at society and what’s going on between us all right now, “Human To Human.”

In addition to ALL of this good stuff I’ve already mentioned there are STILL further reasons to listen.  The guest appearance by guitarist Frank Gappa is beyond essential to this cut…the tone & attitude in his guitar brings the punch, grit, and seriousness to this song in a way that tells your ears there’s more happening here than just mere audio entertainment.  The weight you’ll find in the music is exactly what cues you in to listen closely to what’s going on throughout “Human To Human,” and pay attention to the words that come with it.  That’s when you start to recognize the imagery in the lyrics of Damien Q and what he’s chosen to sing about on his latest single…and you hear the sense of urgency it comes with.  In many ways, the chorus of this cut becomes very similar to a full-on plead for us to remember our humanity, and that “Human To Human” is the only way anything really ever gets done right on this planet.  We need each other…whether that’s your jam philosophically or not, it’s still the reality we all share; we are all the spokes in the wheel of someone else’s life helping turn them to where they need to go.  Whether it’s the dude bagging groceries or the lady managing the bank…everyone plays a role – and when it comes to true change on a societal level, we need to recognize that the same is true…that no matter how small a part we might feel like we’re playing, it’s equally important, “Human To Human.”  I loved the fact that Damien Q’s latest single pulled no punches in that regard…you can hear references to inarguably important issues without sugar coating the grim reality of what he’s describing…but I what I really felt was that through his empowered performance and the energy he puts into this track, you’ll feel that spark & surge of hope run alongside his every word too.  Whether that comes from the role he’s playing in creating awareness, or the intention of the sentiment overall, or both for that matter – “Human To Human” tackles fairly devastating material at times, but never sounds or seems desolate, you know what I mean?  You stay interested, engaged, and right on the edge of your seat while you take this tune in…it makes the ol’ brain move, and consider these words while you listen to the radness surrounding them.  Of which there is plenty, as I mentioned – you’ll find additional highlights from Frank towards the very end in the creative breakdown of the finale on “Human To Human” – and frequent collaborator Granular Injections shows up big-time to expertly handle the mix & mastering of this single.

Thought-provoking words, highly-dynamic music, and an enigmatic performance by the man on the mic that flexes finesse, bold creativity, and undeniable talent – Damien Q scores a big win with “Human To Human,” providing us all a massive dose of perspective and spectacular sound in the process.

We ended up with a mighty handful of superstars from the independent scene lending their time to interviews in print, audio, and video to the recent Covid Relief Project we put on here at our pages; the written interviews are posted up already, and the shows start rolling out this week on both the SBS Podcast and SBS Live This Week.  And you guessed it – this man right here, none other than Damien Q will be helping us kick that off…so make sure to stay tuned for that coming real soon.  Until then, make sure to stay up to-date on his growing catalog of tunes by listening straight from the official page at Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/7g9Vaj4bdBRc5YrYuWKfV6

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