Araya was living in New York City and enrolled in school for graphic design student until he had an epiphany and realized that music was his true calling. The other artistic skills he embodies were complementary in the construction of his aesthetic. While the twenty-one-year-old has written songs over the past three years, he recently unleashed his musical persona to the masses in bulk. Unlike many rising artists, Araya is self-assured releasing a complete fourteen song album after only a few singles released prior. Luckily, the momentum built up as planned as his latest single, ‘Color Palette,’ received unexpected appraisal from Spotify playlists and Paper Magazine. His unconventional genre-blending milestone tricks listeners by believing that whoever they listen to has years of experience and releases under their belt.
Over the weekend, Araya unleashed his first album Atlas. The 44-minute compilation of raw, genre-spanning tracks ranges from hazy vocals over blaring sonics to conceptual tracks that sound like they arrive one-after-another in one jam session. Experimentation embeds the threads of each song. We always love seeing brand new artists push boundaries right out of the gates, some result in a considerable reward amongst fans and music intellects. Araya will become a household name amongst the Pitchfork and music snobs of the world in due time. Some standouts from the album are vocal showcase tracks ‘Sad Song’ and ‘Tarantino.’
We got the chance to chat with Araya to walk us through his artistic upbringing and how Atlas came to life.
How did growing up in Long Island influence the art that you knew you wanted to make?
Because I lived right outside the city, a lot of people at my high school were very creative, and being surrounded by so many creative people at such a young age inspired me a lot.
Can you recall the moment where the switch flipped in your head and told you that music was your calling?
When a potential design job at Nike fell through at the last minute.
What direction did you initially want to take this project in and how did it evolve as you record?
Initially, I wanted to create a project that was an honest reflection of my journey and throughout the recording process, I was able to stay true to my initial intent.
What was your reaction to 'Color Palette' landing in the top 12 on New Music Friday?
The New Music Friday placement was definitely surreal, we’re so happy things are happening as intended. Because I’m independent there’s always this attitude of unsure-ness when it comes to receiving editorial attention, we had hoped for things to be this way but were still really moved by the love
That song is definitely unconventional and unpredictable, did you ever expect it to get the commercial response it received?
I always hoped it would, yes
What was the creation process like for your new album Atlas and what phrase would you use to describe the project as a whole?
The creation process felt very organic & meant to be. Every person involved had their role and was incredibly important to the final outcome, from my guitarists Luca Cuni & Will Catucci, to my engineer/executive producer PRSN & my manager Toby.
The release date was decided to be Saturday, 1/23, what is the significance behind that date?
The date has numbers ascending & descending, numbers that I feel like are my angel numbers. The ascending/descending sequence of 1/23/21 will never occur again.
What track on the album are you most proud of and why?
Muay Thai, because throughout the entire creation process of that song, I always felt an incredibly strong closeness to it, a feeling that remains still to this day.
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