Stephen is an LA-based indie-electronic musician, and Delilah represents the centrepiece of his upcoming album Akrasia.
Created in response to Stephen’s struggles with drugs and his exploration of his sexuality, Akrasia is the sound of an artist pushing at the boundaries of their own identity.
Delilah sounds like the act of pulling something apart… Strands worked loose and threads rapidly unravelling. A haunted piano melody establishes a seemingly delicate platform for Stephen’s vocals, with the song’s opening sounding like the midpoint between Radiohead and the Weeknd. Delilah feels like gradual disintegration before reaching a chorus that sounds like rebirth, all the fragility punched through, tanned and turned tough. Drums and vocals capturing the sheer raw feelings of frustration and alienation life can inspire in us.
The result is a staggering performance - bold, artistic, experimental and sad, and yet somehow infectious and enticing all at once. The video is similarly weird and wonderful and intimidating.
Describing the song, Stephen says:
“Delilah is the name I've given my shadow - my repressed, unrecognized potentials and desires. She is temptation. She is seduction. The process of getting to know her has been scary and exciting, a deep sense of self-acceptance and power reached through self-annihilation.”