Bangkok-based singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit spent most of his teenage years in Hamilton, New Zealand - a cross-cultural experience that helped shape his eclectic-yet-universally-accessible blend of melody-driven lo-fi, indie and funk. (He discovered indie experimentalists like Foster the People Mac DeMarco, Matt Corby and Ben Howard after being inspired by the surf/chill aspects of Jason Mraz’s oeuvre). “Long Gone”, the lead single from his (crowd-funded) debut album Manchild (2017), serves as a great introduction to his charming aesthetic of “alternative indie folk”.
The music video - with its retro vibes, handheld cassette player, ‘90s loose denim overalls, bandanas, unself-conscious dance moves - plays up the song’s dreamy, funky, and bliss-inducing bassline. Since it was uploaded onto YouTube in June this year, it has amassed over 1.6 million views. Viphurit’s calming vocals efficiently describes an embrace prior to a departure: ‘So tonight, we'll dance, let's pretend we rule this town/ In tomorrow's dawn/ I'll be long gone/ Long gone, long gone’. At Viphurit's hands, separation anxiety dissolves into mild euphoria by placing a nostalgic, rose-tinted lens onto the present and near future.
There’s a subtle semantic shift here. He first pleas for more space (‘Hold on loose, don't grip me so tight/ I've got no wings to fly but this spirit's taking flight’), and then smoothly contradicts himself (‘Don't hold me loose, please grip me tight/ My lungs are paper dry, from fear of losing sight’). By the time the song’s bridge comes around, the imminent absence is felt from both sides (‘In tomorrow's dawn, you'll be long gone’). There’s no room for pausing, slowing down, or halting the upcoming separation, but the subtlest hints of dissonance eventually make their presence felt towards the song’s end.
