NORTH KINGSLEY, the recently announced musical collective of bassist/guitarist, Shavo Odadjian, producer, Saro Paparian and lyricist/vocalist Ray Hawthorne, have released their first 3 track collection, VOL. 1, out today on 22 Red Media , a subsidiary of Odadjian’s lifestyle and cannabis brand, 22 Red.
VOL. 1 features the hard hitting, previously released debut track, Like That? and two brand new tracks – rabble rousing protest anthem, Shot Guns and biting critique of the hypocrisy of the current social media landscape, Die For The Pic, for which NORTH KINGSLEY have released an official music video today.
Speaking on the latest track/visuals released by NORTH KINGSLEY, vocalist and lyricist Ray Hawthorne explains
“’Die for the Pic’ is a statement on modern hypocrisy. The masses are tending to follow popular trends without taking the time to analyze what’s actually going on. People often agree with whatever they are told the correct way to think is, and then post about it online, in an effort to be perceived well by their peers. In my experience, most of these people don’t even take the time to look into why they believe what they’re demanding others believe. It’s a cycle.
Adding to this, producer Saro Paparian says:
“’Die for the Pic’ is a really unique production compared to our other tracks. The goal was to establish a minimalist setting while still experimenting with how elements fit in the mix. It’s really bare bones- and that allows for this wide open space where Shavo’s guitar work pushes and pulls against Ray’s lyrics. My bandmates are sparring on an open stage – it’s beautiful
“I’m very proud of that fact that Shavo and I could find a place to leverage a bit of our people’s history and culture in our tracks. ‘Die For The Pic’ has vocal samples cut from an acapella of a song from Palu, a village in Western Armenia. Means a lot personally since my great-grandfather was born in Palu….We almost lost those songs- it’s almost by sheer luck that it not only survived but that it found a place in North Kingsley’s music.”
