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Photo:  Arman Saturday

Logging onto any social media platform guarantees being bombarded with the achievements and accolades of others. Constantly entrenched in a virtual highlight reel, recognizing failure, let alone admitting it to the world, is a rare occurrence. In his latest release, "R.I.P," Jesse Gold makes the bold proclamation of his own shortcomings as he battles stagnancy and disillusionment.

The production on "R.I.P" is deceitfully bright, balancing perfectly with the stark lyricism as Gold confronts his harsh reality. To the casual listener, the song is groovy and warm with its bouncy bass line and smooth vocals. Bubbling below the surface, Gold divulges his hopelessness despite pouring his entire soul into achieving his self-defined success. The juxtaposition between the track's sound and lyricism exemplifies the ease in which reality can be manipulated just in its presentation to the rest of the world.

Gold leaves the last minute of the song nearly bare, fading briefly into an echo of muffled vocals and birds chirping before abruptly returning to the original instrumentation. Without saying a word, Gold sonically replicates the feeling of getting lost in a daydream before snapping back into bleak reality.

There is an underrated beauty in simplicity, and Gold taps into that on "R.I.P." His brilliant songwriting is exemplified in his ability to say a lot in a short, poetic string of lyrics. Hearing Gold grapple with the loss of himself in his tireless pursuit of success, "R.I.P" is a refreshingly honest and intimate tour de force.

Listen to  "R.I.P" below: