Recorded in his countryside home, “Everything Has Been Done By Now, So Now, Everything Is Possible…”, the new album from Tel-Aviv artist TRACE KOTIK confronts wicked heartbreak and depression. Musically, it makes powerfully intimate songs that erupt with grunge-tinged passion. On his new single “Until Next Time”, a dark electric guitar riff blossoms into a full breakdown of gritty synths and crashing cymbals, while Jonathan Kotik repeats the mantra “everything will be alright”. Today, we’re stoked to give you the official first hearing of the new single and some more details on TRACE KOTIK’s inspiring, intimate craft.
“Until Next Time”s ambitious arrangements recall the delicate layers of contemporaries like Fleet Foxes or War on Drugs. It’s the work of an artist who’s been honing their craft for years, and is finally ready to let the world in.
Comments TRACE KOTIK: “This song was an act of self help in some sort, as a reassurance that things will be ok, it was written to deal with a broken heart that caused an obsession that haunted me throughout the songwriting phase of the album, it’s actually a key element in all of the songs, especially the songs: “Enough”, “100”, “Chaos” and “Foreign friends”. I started working on it’s first version eight years ago and it feels really good to finally release it.”
Some influences TRACE KOTIK had during the time he worked on this song and the album are:
Ben Howard – Keep Your Head Up
“The funny thing is that it kinda’ wrote itself, I was trying to play “Keep Your Head Up” by Ben Howard and my guitar just wouldn’t stay in tune, somehow I turned it into the song’s tuning, which is an open C with that the two middle strings tuned to D and D#, so they have a semitone between them, which makes that sort of detuned guitar sound. I played it just like that for a while, and then someday the melody just came to me, and that was that.”
“Bon iver actually opened me up to the world of production, before listening “For Emma, Forever Ago” and the self titled album I couldn’t really understand what soundscape was, I remember listening and just feeling what the music does to me, I kind of owe my “musical-ears” to Justin Vernon and the Eaux Claire gang, I actually met Sean Carey a couple of times, I was extremely starstruck and almost couldn’t talk. Hey Sean, let’s have a do-over.”
Pantera – Primal Concrete Sledge
“A cousin of mine played me Pantera when I was in the fourth grade and I fell in love with it. After that day I started growing my hair long and didn’t stop until I was in the 12th grade, happily headbanging, I must have thrown my neck out ten times. I guess they are the main reason I listened to glam-metal & heavy-metal most of my teenage years.”
