Vianchi doesn’t care what you think. For a semi-electronic indie-pop act (what a mouthful), once you go to his Spotify, one of the first things you’ll spot is his devil may care image, a laid-back posture, middle fingers held high. Painted nails, a gothic presence that carries some seriously dark overtones, there’s something instantly attracting about his persona. In the content of his newest single “Overdose’ and its accompanying music video, he seems in his element. A single mic dangling, a woman by his side, trapped in a space almost seemingly by his own design. It’s like we’re peaking into his ID and what it represents to himself, which is there’s confidence and there’s damage.
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That’s kind of the main theme of “Overdose”. Vianchi croons immaculately about the joys he feels under the influence of an indulgent lifestyle. He’s trying to wrestle with himself and the outside and it’s definitely a condemnation of co-dependent relationships (something that will certainly ring true to my generation and others who’ve felt this) and it never feels like an endorsement of his behavior. If anything there’s this underlying sense of exhaustion. In a time where many alternative and indie acts talk about the assistance of drugs or alcohol to get by in a very romanticized way, Vianchi is almost like “Hey yeah this is fun…for a minute.” There’s a seductive presence to the whole song, like a proverbial deal with the devil. However you know what the other side of this high is, and Vianchi tiptoes around it, almost like he’s convincing himself he won’t fall prey to these effects like I’m sure many burgeoning addicts think to themselves.
Stylistically this thing just drips creative choices that will be wildly appreciated and I’m confident others will feel the same way. If anything, it’s something that should get people excited and guessing what ultimately will be the direction and inevitable EP or Album release. It’s very synth-y both in sound and even the album artwork, inspired by the abstract 80s background imagery like something you might see lingering in the background of a Patrick Nagal art piece. It might not also just be a choice meant to capitalize on the current synth trend (We all know The Weeknd is keeping it alive, but Vianchi is experimenting with it in a less mainstream way) because if there’s anything we know is synonymous with the 80s, it’s the feeling of excess.
This is a song that while not bombastic and excessive in production, it’s pretty straight forward and admittedly a great sense of escalation towards its climax wouldn’t hurt, but the lyrical content is so in love with the powers of these drugs. Overdose also curiously ends with the sound of a loud bang or potentially gunshot. It’s a jarring almost obtuse ending because once again we’re not privy to what led to this point. It’s a piece to a larger puzzle which is what Vianchi is right now. You can’t quite pinpoint him and I think his music is the better for it because it’ll keep you guessing.
Jodi Marxbury