I love when artists collaborate on music projects, as the talent and creative energy each bring to the mix often results in some really terrific work. Last week I featured such a song by L.A. artists Harley Bird and Barren Gates, and am now pleased to feature another collaborative effort, this time by Seattle-based singer-songwriter and composer US3R, and Minneapolis-based synth artist and composer Jasper Mitchell. They teamed up to create a deliciously chill song “Forever Blue“, which dropped March 15th.

US3R

US3R (pronounced ‘user’, and the artistic moniker of a very nice guy named Kristian Alexander) makes synthwave-inspired electronic pop, dream pop and house music. I had the pleasure of meeting him and his lovely wife last December when they were in the Coachella Valley to visit family and friends before the Christmas holidays. (Kristian grew up in Cathedral City, where I now live.) I asked him about his name US3R, and he said it was inspired by his work in the IT industry: “I’ve been a computer guy since I was very young. In computer terminology/operating systems, there are references to “user” in a million different forms. It felt like an archetypal term that represented computer culture… and also in hacker culture, we have a tendency to talk in “leet speak” (where you swap numbers for letters), so, ‘US3R’ is a reference to the hacky nature of my music.“

US3R has had a very busy year, first releasing his debut album 1985 in May (2019), then following up in December with his second album INFLUENCE, a brilliant work addressing modern influencer culture and the loss of intimacy in the digital age. Both are outstanding, and I urge my readers to check them out on one of the music streaming platforms listed at the end of this review. In February and early March, US3R embarked on a North American tour covering Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Hollywood, NYC, and Toronto, before it was abruptly halted by the Coronavirus outbreak.

Jasper Mitchell

Jasper Mitchell likewise creates dreamy chillwave, synthwave and atmospheric electronic music. He released his debut EP Awakening in 2018, and followed a year later with his stunning album Her, both of which I also highly recommend.

Like many collaborations, “Forever Blue” was recorded and produced in different locations. Mitchell came up with the initial music concept, then sent it to US3R, who wrote the lyrics and made some chord changes. He recorded the vocals while in Southern California last December, then sent his vocal recording to Mitchell in Minneapolis, who did the production work on the track. They then worked back and forth over the internet until they got the song just right.

US3R states that the song is about driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in California from Santa Monica to Malibu, “reminiscing about a woman that used to sit in the passenger seat, and every time you do the drive it brings up old feelings.” He adds “Its about reflecting on your life in the face of mortality. We ironically wrote this before Coronavirus happened, but it seems very relevant all of a sudden.”

Employing a colorful mix of warm, sparkling synths, set to a languid trip hop percussive beat, Mitchell artfully creates a captivating atmospheric soundscape evoking a sun-kissed day along the California coast, but with an underlying air of melancholia. US3R has a silky-smooth vocal style that’s immensely pleasing, and the perfect voice for a chillwave song. His soft, almost breathy croons beautifully convey the wistful emotions expressed in the bittersweet lyrics: “If I died tomorrow would I be happy with it all? / I’ve had some good times / There’s so many things I saw / I don’t wanna go / There’s still so much i wanna see / I need to know are you the one who’s saving me? / Forever blue, when I look at you.”

It’s a gorgeous track. Nice work guys!

Connect with Us3r:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Apple Music /  Soundcloud  / YouTube
Purchase:  Google Play / Bandcamp

Connect with Jasper Mitchell:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase:  Google Play