Aaron Taos' Communication feels like a tripped out love anthem for our time. Weird melodies slide over one another in a way that borders on discordant - like an old cassette that has seen a little too much love, the notes seem to bend and swerve and nothing feels objective. Atop of this are Taos’ vocals, which emphasise the need for communication and focused quality time in an age where such things genuinely feel far more precious and valuable than the thousand-pound smartphones we carry around with us.
I’m increasingly a strong believer in the importance of being able to talk about things with your significant other… Without clear communication it can be too easy to wind up make assumptions about what the other person wants or feels or intended with a certain action. It’s something Taos talks about when describing the motivation behind the song, including the influence of his therapist parents:
”Communication is about the importance of talking things out with your partner. I'm a pretty open person, so when there's something not sitting right between me and someone (be it lover or friend) I'm quick to want to acknowledge the issue and attempt to fix it. As I mentioned in the song, both my parent's are therapists, so blame in on that. In any case Communication is about the importance of airing things out.”
There is a psychedelic R&B feel to this that really jives with my tastes - male vulnerability and openness combined with soulful instrumentation through a weird 70s filter. It’s totally my jam, and it should be yours too.