Caught In The Rain

Octo Octa “No More Pain (Promises To A Younger Self)”

This is a great example of an artist giving an abstract work of art a title that gives you some loose instruction on how to interpret it. The first 30 seconds of “No More Pain (Promises To A Younger Self)” is ambient and vaguely melancholy – not overtly sad, but an indication of some sort of absence. Like being aware that you don’t have what you need, but not really knowing what it is just yet. When the beat kicks in it’s like suddenly finding what you’ve been missing, and when the vocal sample comes in it’s like hearing a voice that’s speaking directly to you. And holy shit, that voice is Mariah fucking Carey! I love what Octo Octa does with Carey’s voice here, chopping it up so you can immediately recognize her glorious tone but distorted enough that there’s no words, just an ecstatic feeling. It’s the raw essence of Mariah, and it’s presented here as the sound of an epiphany and self-acceptance. It’s perfect casting.

Buy it from Bandcamp.