Soulful vocals layered upon voluptuous synths, sewed together for an atmosphere dipped in neon and sprinkled with funk. This is DRAMA, a collaborative passion project between Chicago’s Via Rosa and producer Na’el Shehade who’s worked with Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, Machine Gun Kelly, and more.
The ambitious duo bottles nostalgia and timeless elegance together with impossible ease, and DRAMA’s new album, Gallows, breathes new life into the resurgence of the ’80s iconic synth profiles. The result is a sound that packages all the thickness of Rhye with an incredible degree of accessibility, and boasts emotion dripping from every crack and crevice.
Named after “Gallows Humor,” the album is painted with DRAMA’s comical reflection on painful experience. Here’s what Via Rosa has to say about the new release.
“We felt like the term Gallows Humor really encompassed our sound since our music has been described as happy sad music; music that brings you up when you’re feeling down. Heartbreak can be painful and our hope through our album Gallows is that it will help you see the humor when you’re going through the volatility of love. Na’el and I came together to create Gallows as our last letters to the loves we thought we couldn’t live without.
I spoke my words through the lyrics and Na’el expressed his feelings through the beats. Gallows is a DRAMAtic soundtrack for anyone and everyone who has ever felt like the only way to get through pain is to see crack a joke, see the humor and keep it moving.”
If you can’t believe your ears and need to see DRAMA live before accepting their genius, the duo will be performing live at Chicago’s Chop Shop on December 22nd. Click here for tickets and more information on the show, and learn more about DRAMA’s vision here.