Ryan Von Gonten - "Burned Orange"

“Burned Orange,” the new single from Oakland’s Ryan Von Gonten, goes down much more smoothly than its title would suggest. The name elicits something tart with the kind of stinging citrus taste that’d likely irritate your esophagus, but sonically, “Burned Orange” is actually quite the opposite. It’s quietly comforting, flowing rather nicely with hushed guitar tones that spring to life at times and woozy, yet firm vocals. Though it does introduce itself with a stomping beat, and a bold snare drum remains fairly constant, both help to elevate Von Gonten’s hypnotic guitar playing and parse his words. The drums ease up a little bit for the outro, which features some supple interplay between a clarinet and soft guitar strums. And yes, while the instrumentation moves with ease, it belies some of the heavier lifting that Van Gonten engages in through the lyrics. He confronts the societal poison that is toxic masculinity and searches for a way to break its cycle, singing “take it out and overload shut single, the right hand / the wider how to play or rely on a donor, a younger.”

“Burned Orange” is the second single from Von Gonten’s forthcoming sophomore album, Painfulfree, which is set for release on March 26th via Mint Mall Records. You can pre-order a copy on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. Keep up with Von Gonten by liking him on Facebook and following him on Instagram.