Full four-track Dahlia EP due in August via Popgang Records
ASW is a mental health advocate who has struggled with bipolar disorder and is raising funds for Crisis Text Line
“Soil and the Seed is the acceptance of life as a flawed, uncomfortable, dark, beautiful ride. This acceptance heightens us. Makes us present. I wrote Soil and the Seed about those who hide from this truth, fear it, but eventually let go embrace it,” says ASW
Experimental producer ASW has revealed the third single “Soil and the Seed” off of his forthcoming Dahlia EP. The track succeeds former singles “A Garden Overrun” and “Roots,” all collectively part of the Seattle-based producer’s four-track Dahlia EP due this August on SF-based label Popgang Records.
ASW is known for his moody soundscapes that blend alternative rock, psychedelia, progressive house, and more into his signature sound. Fans grew familiar with his falsetto vocals in the previously released “Roots,” but his brooding intonations play a much larger role in guiding the soundscapes of “Soil and the Seed.” Percussion and angelic string chords slowly move the track along its upward journey as the underlying synth tones ascend into a steady, rhythmic dance beat in the first chorus. A vocoded voice gospels “This is love” as the bridge takes us into the song’s finale charged with a commanding kick drum, prominent house bassline, and a cathartic synth release as ASW brings us back down to earth for the close.
ASW has dedicated his art and music towards raising funds and awareness for Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit that acts as a text-based resource for those in crisis. In June, ASW launched his fundraising livestream series, The Dahlia Experience, which has now raised more than $5,000 in donations for Crisis Text Line through broadcasts on various Twitch channels.
After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013, Alex Wagner was placed on an involuntary hold for a week in a hospital’s mental health wing. Since then, his mental health recovery led him to volunteer 200 hours over the last year with Crisis Text Line, listening to people and bringing them to a state of calm.
Dahlia is a concept EP, its literal interpretation a blooming of a flower on a hillside. Underneath, it is rooted in the emotional struggle and growth of an individual. It’s an abstract vignette of the mental health journey of the pandemic. And with the visual team behind Madeon’s Good Faith tour, Dahlia is poised to be an audio/visual experience that uplifts, calms, and empowers those who engage with it.
In addition to unveiling singles from the Dahlia EP, ASW recently released his original single “Stop Expecting” via Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Records.
ABOUT ASW
After remixing Galantis and Icona Pop and tracks with CADE and FrankMusik through the production duo Ari, Pacific Northwest raised Alex Wagner has split off to revive his solo project ASW. This new exploration of ASW combines alternative rock, psychedelia, progressive house, and more all under one hood to tell stories he’s wanted to tell his whole life.
As a proud gay man who has struggled with bipolar disorder, Wagner has dedicated his art and music towards raising funds and awareness for Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit that acts as a text-based resource for those in crisis.
Following his bipolar disorder diagnosis in 2013, Wagner was placed on an involuntary hold for a week in a hospital’s mental health wing. Since then, his mental health recovery led him to volunteer 200 hours over the last year with Crisis Text Line, listening to people and bringing them to a state of calm. In the midst of an isolating global pandemic that saw the number of people with symptoms of mental health disorders climb from 10% to over 41% in less than two years, Wagner’s mission is to soothe those struggling with his volunteerism and music.
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