Isaiah Mclaughlin first appeared on these pages in 2021 with a series of EP releases. Those records introduced readers of The Static Dive to a uniquely talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since his debut in 2019, the prolific producer has delivered a total of eight releases. He is now making his full length album debut.
“Paradise” is the brand new album from Isaiah McLaughlin, released worldwide to all major streaming services on January 28, 2022. Hot off the presses, the record was recorded in November 2021, with final mixing and mastering completed in December. As is the case with each of his releases, Isaiah Mclaughlin composed, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered every note. The 13 song collection dives deeper into the musically and emotionally complex Alternative Electronic world the avant-garde artist introduced on his previous projects.
We enter Isaiah Mclauglin’s now familiar soundscape of hypnotic vocals and electronic psychedelia with the New Wave/Synthwave vibe of the percussive “Jungle Heat.” As we progress through the record, the eclectic producer introduces elements of Pop. Rock and EDM. From the driving House beat of “It’s On Them” to the Metal guitar intro of “Try to Break Me,” he expands the horizon of the unique sonic world he has created. Classical strings paint the edges of the mix on tracks like “Alice,” while “Undressed ” prominently features a Japanese koto as a primary melodic element.
Lyrically, Isaiah Mclaughlin is not afraid to explore the darker corners of the human psyche. On the album “Paradise” he mines his own personal life experiences. The artist recently shared with us some insight into a few key tracks on the album.
On “As a Parent,” I was inspired by Michael Jackson’s song ‘Do You Know Where Your Children Are?.’ I have recorded so many different versions of this song over the years but felt like it was time to re-record it and finalize it. So many children have abusive parents and I wanted to bring attention to this topic. I wrote “Lucifer” after my mother’s passing in May of 2021. My father is a twisted, demented individual. I am not afraid to shy away from darker subject matter pertaining to my life.
Similar songs from previous works that relate to my father are “ The Closet”, ‘Slave’, “Why I Should I Care?” and ‘Parasite’. For the vocal production on “Horizon,” I wanted to experiment more with glitching, vocoders, and take the vocal production to more of an experimental realm than In my previous works. I recorded several different versions of “Truth” the last two years. The inspiration came from working in a toxic environment.
Isaiah Mclaughlin
Check out “Paradise” in its entirety below, or listen on your favorite streaming service. You can also hear the song “As a Parent” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Isaiah Mclaughlin. Get on his socials, dig into his rich back catalog and get in the loop on all of the music to come from this talented young artist.
