Symbion Project, led by electronic composer/producer Kasson Crooker, will be releasing the single on October 20. Preceded by two music videos – one being an immersive 360 video and one in 2D. A majestic slice of downtempo futuristic chamber-pop filled with charged atmospherics, this track features haunting vocals and a deft balance of clever minimalism and dark intensity. The video features choreography and performance by Sorea Lear and Anna Thornton, which was produced and directed by Avielle Heath and Micah Knapp.Based in Seattle, Symbion Project sits at a crossroads between several genres. Head one way and you find a brooding embrace, in the other a chilled neo-classical elegance. Another road takes you towards 80s new romanticism, its counterpart exploring the future of indie electronica. At its heart is ‘Bloodthirsty’. With a dark, brooding atmosphere filled with haunting vocals and tense orchestral elements, 'Bloodthirsty' tells the story of how love, lust and emotional energy can both heal and tear relationships apart.
Co-written with and featuring vocals by Finnish singer/songwriter Markus Junnikkala, the original version of ‘Bloodthirsty’ first appeared on the Symbion Project's eighth album ‘Arcadian’, released in 2016. Dealing with difficult subject matter, 'Bloodthirsty' is built on fragile emotions and dark passions as much as sonic elements. “This is a song about struggles in an abusive relationship and about how energy between two people can be abused and manipulated. We experience the cycle of abuse through dance,” explains Kasson Crooker.
“Our goal is to allow the viewer to feel first-hand the intensity of those relationships, the cycle that abuse creates, and the difficulty of breaking this cycle. The video moves through 3 major stages: romance, fighting, and conciliation, which often create a cycle in relationships that the two parties can't break from.” Symbion Project is one of many creative outlets for Crooker, but one that he has returned to frequently over the last two decades whilst simultaneously exploring other avenues such as national award-winning synth-pop band Freezepop and electro-rock trio Splashdown. Other more recent musical projects include ELYXR and Rocococo. Beyond being a band member and songwriter, Kasson is also an accomplished composer and audio technologist, having written music over the years for a number of well-known interactive video games such as Amplitude, Rockband and Frequency.
He is currently scoring the indie game Shard. Before returning to work on this latest Symbion Project single he delivered the album ‘Gishiki’, completing his trilogy of “classical synthesizer” albums, inspired by the Samurai Bushido Code and Japanese traditional music. Always the innovator, here Crooker sonically blended vintage synthesizers with Koto playing and wind chimes to create lush and emotive cinematic soundscapes.
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