On a drowsy Tuesday morning I felt the heat of last night’s poor sleep beat through my head, in delirious times like these I get stuck into music, what can I say it perks me up. Old Crush’s poppy synthed out melodies appeared out of a vanishing thin air, like dragonflies scattered across a silver pond. Born in the city of angels, Old Crush is the product of musician Josue Campos. His new solo project blends nostalgic elements together, drawing inspiration from Lo-fi Dream Pop and Garage Rock all infused with a touch of 90s video game soundtracks.

He collides a meshing of sounds into dreamy melodies that clash beautifully with grungy guitars backdropped with grooving synths and a unique atmosphere that intrigued me to dive deeper into his soundscape. Easing you in Crush’s smooth guitar riffs waste no time, bringing you into his world like California waves crashing upon a shore. Other elements begin to peak their head through, as the soft drums clap their way between the corners of your mind as Crush’s vocals begin to emerge, elegant, nostalgic and deeply personal in nature.

His pitch was subdued and unbelievably controlled against the angelic vocals of the secondary performer, putting their finishing touches on the track. Culminating in lyrics of vulnerability, “I don’t have time, and I don’t have time, and I don’t have time to be used,” echoing in your mind continuously and ever complementing the instrumentation as it wonderfully fades out as swiftly as it came in. 

Crush is constantly striving for personal introspection in his sonic adventures, expressing a more pronounced retro-modernist pop outlook with each single he unveils. His songwriting and production feel as if he is trying to one-up himself with each track. As his musical influences grow more and more diverse, I am very curious to see how he structures a full album in the future.