After unveiling solo singles like "Sick as a Dog" and "Gravity Don't Pull Me" under his first-name-only moniker last year, former Vampire Weekend dude Rostam Batmanglij went on a bit of a collaborative streak by working with everyone from Hamilton Leithauser to Frank Ocean to Tokyo Police Club. Now, though, he's returned with another brand new single of his own.
Titled "Gwan," the moody orchestral pop piece marks the first listen to Rostam's upcoming solo full-length.
"I've had experiences where my life will try to tell me something in a dream — and sometimes it's something I'm not ready to hear," Batmanglij said in a statement. "So I think maybe this song is about trying to listen to what your subconscious mind is trying to say to you."
Elaborating on the influences heard on the track, he added, "I'm realizing from responses I've gotten that you could hear the cello parts in 'Gwan' in different ways. One person described it as being 'trad music,' meaning traditional Irish music — that wasn't what I had in mind when I wrote those parts but I take that interpretation as a high compliment. Another described it as sounding 'very Eastern.' I'm interested in the interconnections between these musics. I grew up listening to and studying both Western and Eastern music, but at this point in my life, I'm not thinking too hard about what I'm trying to accomplish musically. I'm trying to just trust my instincts."
The new song has arrived with an accompanying music video, as well. It was directed by Greg Brunkalla, who keeps the camera's focus on Batmanglij as he walks through the streets of New York.
Details of the now-solo artist's debut LP are still scarce, but you can get a preview of what's to come by watching the video for "Gwan" below.
Titled "Gwan," the moody orchestral pop piece marks the first listen to Rostam's upcoming solo full-length.
"I've had experiences where my life will try to tell me something in a dream — and sometimes it's something I'm not ready to hear," Batmanglij said in a statement. "So I think maybe this song is about trying to listen to what your subconscious mind is trying to say to you."
Elaborating on the influences heard on the track, he added, "I'm realizing from responses I've gotten that you could hear the cello parts in 'Gwan' in different ways. One person described it as being 'trad music,' meaning traditional Irish music — that wasn't what I had in mind when I wrote those parts but I take that interpretation as a high compliment. Another described it as sounding 'very Eastern.' I'm interested in the interconnections between these musics. I grew up listening to and studying both Western and Eastern music, but at this point in my life, I'm not thinking too hard about what I'm trying to accomplish musically. I'm trying to just trust my instincts."
The new song has arrived with an accompanying music video, as well. It was directed by Greg Brunkalla, who keeps the camera's focus on Batmanglij as he walks through the streets of New York.
Details of the now-solo artist's debut LP are still scarce, but you can get a preview of what's to come by watching the video for "Gwan" below.