Electronic pop songwriter Nelward (born Nick Elward) puts a new spin on embracing inner demons with Eat Your Dreams. “Smash Thru,” stands apart from the seven-song EP’s pastiche of ‘80s pop and early aughts hip-hop, R&B, and IDM productions styles. The song features a guest appearance by Atlanta’s favorite expat songstress Adron, bending vibrant ‘80s pop to ward off what Nelward calls “toxic positivity.”
Electronic pop songwriter Nelward (born Nick Elward) puts a new spin on embracing inner demons with Eat Your Dreams. “Smash Thru,” stands apart from the seven-song EP’s pastiche of ‘80s pop and early aughts hip-hop, R&B, and IDM productions styles. The song features a guest appearance by Atlanta’s favorite expat songstress Adron, bending vibrant ‘80s pop to ward off what Nelward calls “toxic positivity.”
“When I was younger people at school and work would tell me to ‘cheer up,’ even when I wasn’t necessarily sad,” Nelward says. “The idea that we have to perpetually project happiness instills an idea that feeling bad is not okay, which can make mental health issues worse.”
Of course, all of this resonates loudly in the era of quarantine. Adron even recorded her vocal parts from her home in Los Angeles, and the two collaborated remotely. What’s more, many of the EP’s songs — “The Werewolf,” “My Balloon,” and the title track — feed off the normalized sense of dread that 2020 has wrought. But “Smash Thru” is a personally cathartic number. With lyrics such as, “I had a hard time as a kid / And saw some shitty therapist / Who told me ‘Just don’t worry bout it! It’s just you,’” the song takes shape as an empowering number, tackling lifelong issues.
“I like people to interpret my lyrics on their own,” he adds. “But in general, Eat Your Dreams deals with feelings of hopelessness that did not begin but were exacerbated by the circumstances of 2020.”
Press play on Eat Your Dreams below.
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