Brooklyn-based electro-pop band Gift of Tongues has just released their high energy sophomore album, The Perfect Son. The 15 songs on the album are based on frontman, David Johnston, and his childhood. In the words of Johnston himself, “All the stories and anecdotes shared on the album came from this kid, the perfect son. At a young age, I felt and acted different from other boys — I felt ‘wrong’, and I think that was because I was gay, without knowing it, of course. I think the shame of this difference led me to be the silent ‘perfect son’ who didn't want any focus on himself”. GOT has a unique ability to create music with so many layers to it. On the surface, their music seems like your typical EDM club music, but as you dive deeper into the lyrics and meaning of each song, you can see the mental confrontation that is addressed with each song.
Songs on the album like “Useless” and the single “The Art of Loneliness” perfectly capture what Gift of Tongues is able to do with their music. “Useless” tackles the idea of feeling useless in the world and the people that we love, which in Johnston’s case was another man. The song has a driving beat and layered synths that transport you directly to a nightclub scene, but if you investigate the lyrics of the song, you can see the turmoil that is going on in the mind of the singer. The story is a perfect tale of unrequited love that causes someone to spiral, but is put over an upbeat electronic instrumentation.
The artist shares:
The album “The Perfect Son” is a reflection on the myriad of ways I function as a gay man. Though there are danceable synth pop songs, everything is tinged with a kind of sadness and darkness -the soft underbelly of my life. It’s a culmination of how I feel as a 56-year-old gay man and how my world can be a shadowy place with the occasional prism of light.
Other songs on the album, like “The Scarecrow Man'' and “Man in the Brown Fedora” take a more low-fi approach to their background by using slower tempos and a less layered mix with the synthesized sounds. “Man in the Brown Fedora'' takes on the idea of an entity haunting Johnston in his dreams that he can’t seem to escape. His spoken lyrics and haunting echo effects on his vocals help to add to the intriguing feel that the song gives the listener. The man in the song seems to be a symbol for Johnston embracing his sexuality and to stop fighting. The almost 8 minute song is insanely powerful and, in my opinion, is some of Gift of Tongues’ most powerful work.
The Perfect Son is honestly one of the most emotionally driven techno albums I have ever heard. Gift of Tongues holds nothing back when it comes to lyricism and tackling the topics of mental health and sexuality. With music being David Johnston’s way to cope with his bi-polar depression, it is no wonder his writing is so impactful. Make sure to listen to The Perfect Son by Gift of Tongues wherever you listen to music!
