BOYO is the latest stage moniker for 20-year old LA-based singer-songwriter Robert Tilden, who founded DIY acts Bobby T. and the Slackers when he was 16. His new stage name comes after grappling with drug use and anxiety - as well as a clear sonic inclination towards a fuzzy psych-pop aesthetic. After a debut album and an EP, he’s released “Good as Gone” as a stand-alone single for fans to soak in while waiting for his upcoming sophomore LP.
Tilden’s protean vocals are juxtaposed against a catchy melody and lo-fi instrumentation as he delivers an arresting and slightly off-kilter song, which he has described as "a kind of a lullaby for myself, but also a eulogy for a relationship” (Noisey):
'everything we say is immaterial we both look like we're at a fucking funeral, I miss the usual, I don't knowI've never lost somebody who meaningful in an evening-full I hate to see the feelings aren't mutual but now I pay for it on the floor I'm too late for it now, I pay for it I paved the way for it now, I pay for it I beg you to talk but now you're as good as gone I got up and walked, now I'm a lonesome clown Is this forever?'
Lyrics: Bandcamp
The weight of the confession settles in slowly, as Tilden swirls around in his feelings of loneliness, self-pity and misery. The lack of any resolution to this internal turmoil is nevertheless therapeutic, immersive and compelling. The music video represents the dreamy quality of this emotional stasis by featuring Tilden driving around aimlessly during a surreal, neon-lit night drive.
