Queer Asian-American Singer Deb Never Unveils long Awaited EP “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?“
She sings hypnotic vocals about lost love and finding herself over droning synths and grungy guitar and drums, honing in on the universal hope for a return of better times and simultaneously, a hope for a better future.
Producers Jam City(Olivia Rodrigo, Kelela, Troye Sivan), U.K.-based Michael Percy, and Jim-E Stack (Dominic Fike, Bon Iver, Joji, Coraline Polacheck, HAIM) all contributed to the creation of Never’s revolutionary alt-pop sound on this record.
The setting, an overcast desert plain, depicts “reality” or the dreariness of life outside of her music and artistic expression. The opening track, “Stupid” plays in the background as she approaches a lonesome flower.
The music grows until Deb falls into a fantastical world full of vitality, color, and flowers. In this scene the song feels surround-sound, orchestral, and matches the chaos of the accompanying imagery: Deb running, shaking her head in confusion, surrounded by flowers with a smoky haze filling the air. After this climax, she wakes up back in the desert with a flower in her hand.
The visualizer shows what it’s like to dream of a world full of what you love, but waking up to a reality barren of any of it. In a sense, we are all asking ourselves, “Where have all the flowers gone?” as we hang onto moments that make us feel alive.
The queer, Asian-American talent continues to showcase music, lyrics, and artistic identity that resonates with modern youth culture and the nostalgia felt by a post-apocalyptic world.
