Tag: uruguay

New Music Flavor – “illusion”

I have a terrible feeling…this song is going to both make and break your day.  

My ears. My heart. My soul. I’m conflicted by this beautiful song filled with pain and grief from a combination of artists who have witnessed and experienced tragedy and injustice.

Grayson, Uruguay and Danny Denial came together virtually over quarantine to create and produce this beautiful and bone-chilling piece of art called “illusion”.

These musicians have come together in a collaboration that melts so smoothly together, yet is so unapologetically representative of each of their sounds. You’d never know it by their smooth transitions, but these four musicians were never all in the same room while creating this track as they all live in different areas of the US and are all practicing social distancing and proper quarantine protocol.

While this song is emo and depressing and makes my heart hurt for all the friends I can’t protect right now, Stepha Murphy (half of Uruguay) insists that the song is also meant to be hopeful, as it is giving a voice to those who otherwise might not have one.

I think song also gives hope and inspiration to creatives and dreamers who feel stuck and helpless. If these four musicians can create such a seamless work of art from opposite sides of the country, you too can find a way to make your dreams a reality during quarantine. We are limited, but have extensive potential.

Shit is insane right now, for the love of your friends and family – PLEASE VOTE PLEASE PLEASE. Use the voice you have and scream with it, for not everyone receives that same privilege.

Tune in to Indie Pong Instagram Live TONIGHT AT 5PM PST/8PM EST for an exclusive interview with these cool cats! Stepha Murphy of Uruguay is doing our first “Friends of Indie Pong” takeover and will be interviewing both Grayson and Danny Denial.

New Music Flavor – Uruguay “Whisper”

This last week has been a difficult one – filled with outrage, uprisings, and injustice. Coming in like a slice of relief at the end of this whirlwind week, Uruguay releases “Whisper”. While many artists are pushing their releases back a few weeks, Uruguay stood by their release date knowing that its impact is greater now than initially anticipated.

The song’s impact is not only great because one half of the duo is a woman of color and it’s important to celebrate black artists now more than ever, but also because it’s a beautiful and heart soothing song that makes you feel hope at a time when it’s so desperately needed. The song itself is dynamic, upbeat and sensual. While the lyrics embrace the journey of another time, they’re relevant to the current state of the world, amplifying the song’s power.

“This song started out as an outlet for us and a way to cope with the culture shock of being in LA. But, as time has passed and the world has changed (especially in this past week) the meaning of this song, and releasing this song have taken on a completely new light. Now, “Whisper” is a literal voice in a time of change. We are releasing music that makes us feel good! We are showing up as a proud interracial duo who have been through IT (with a capital ‘I’ ‘T’) and saying that now is the time to not be silenced, but instead we are going to bring the world music. We will never stop trying to spread awareness, self worth, relatability, and authenticity with our music. So we hope you will join us, cause we’re pretty badass :P”

– Uruguay

Uruguay, comprised of Stepha Murphy and Benjamin Dawson-Sivalia, is named for a bakery owner from Uruguay who helped feed them while they were living on the streets in New York. They’re known for their fresh take on indie music, Stepha’s absolutely-haunting-and-I-mean-chilled-to-the-bone vocals, brilliant BRILLIANT production, Ben’s insane stage skills and as fashion icons. One of my favorite Stepha quotes is “People think we’re really hot until they get to know us”. Did I mention that they are models?

See what I mean? Hot. What’s even hotter is their live performance of their recent track “Best Friend’s Place” – watch below. And yes, it’s okay to think they’re singing about you while you watch this. You ARE their best friend. As sexy as they may be, they’re also approachable, engaging and absolute loons. The more you get to know Ben, the more you realize he might actually be a squirrel.

It’s hard to explain the various layers of this duo, it’s best to just witness it for yourself. Tomorrow, the pair will join Indie Pong in an Instagram Live interview to discuss their new release, the state of the world, and probably PEZ.