$YNDRM – Sweet Life (2025)
With his eye on the future with an “awareness of the past”, singer-songwriter and producer $YNDRM brings to the present an experimental mish-mash of then, now and yet to come. An established artist in the New York City music scene, the eclectic musician brings obscurity and off-kilter oddness to the ears of intrigued audiences. From trip-hop to pop-rock, dream-pop and indie, $YNDRM (also known as Howard Alper) colours his sonic palette with various hues, all set to create shimmering works of art. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘Sweet Life’.
The re-emergence of $YNDRM on the music scene – or at least on streaming – ‘Sweet Life’ is the first release since his well-received 2021 album Façade. With experimental flair, Façade presented a “collection of compositions with evocative sounds, rhythms and modern production twists and turns.” Today, we have ‘Sweet Life’ which retains the evocativeness of $YNDRM’s avant-garde nature; however, it seems to settle somewhat, leaning toward the pop-rock and indie sounds of the 90s.
Inspired by songs like The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Melody’ and Talk Talk’s ‘Life’s What You Make It’, ‘Sweet Talk’ is one of those songs that keep you completely hypnotised without too many bells and whistles. Co-produced by Howard Alper (that’s $YNDRM) and Kee Chung, the track is entirely soothing, combining dynamic drums, shimmering synths, soaring guitars, and an interspersed piano offering a bit of twinkling, classical sheen to ‘Sweet Life’.
Truthfully, I can imagine ‘Sweet Melody’s music video (hypothetical, of course) being similar to The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Melody’ – a musician just walking through the streets. Melodically, acoustic drums keep the arrangement steady while guitars, synths, and that piano seem to dance atop the foundation. For me, however, it is the vocals that are simultaneously comforting and haunting.
Contrast is what ‘Sweet Life’ is all about. The steadiness of an easy-on-the-ears tune, but the bittersweetness of the lyricism trying to find the “sweet life” in the mish-mash of existential issues. Where can we find that sweet life? Does the dream exist? Can it be a reality? $YNDRM wades through the world between joy and tragedy to see it.
Find out more about $YNDRM on his official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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