photo credit: Matthew Cowen
Today Eyedress shares his new music video for “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” (directed by BRVINFREEZE) and announces upcoming California tour dates via KEXP. Check out the premiere here. KEXP described the song as “a Joy Division composition with the brutal nonchalance of 21 Savage, but coalescing in a way that’s so just uniquely Eyedress.”
Eyedress shared some thoughts on the video, stating ““I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” is a song about betrayal amongst people I considered “friends,” losing trust and people that play both sides. We filmed the video in an abandoned zoo in Griffith park on a whim. It was supposed to be a photo shoot but ended up being a video because the location was too rare.”
Eyedress is the alias of Filipino artist Idris Vicuña, formerly lead guitarist of Manila based psychedelic indie/noise pop band Bee Eyes. Born in 1990 in the city of Makati, Philippines, Vicuña relocated to the US with his family at the age of 6. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona before moving to San Clemente, California at the age of 13, where he started playing bass in a Crass-influenced crust punk band.
In 2005, Vicuña moved back to Manila where he formed Bee Eyes with friends Julius Valledor and Diego Abad. Valledor taught Vicuña the art of sampling and making loops. During downtime from the band Vicuña pursued his own solo project which would eventually become Eyedress.
He released his first record as Eyedress in 2013, entitled Hearing Colors. Well received by music blogs, it led to him signing his first record deal with XL Recordings imprint Abeano. Later that year they released his EP Supernatural which saw praise from publications such as The Guardian and NME.
He followed up in 2016 with his second full length, Shapeshifter, on his own label Babe Slayer. The title track featured King Krule under his Edgar The Breathtaker alias, as well as several underground artists including London rapper Oscar #Worldpeace and LA rapper Pyramid Vritra.
Signed to UK label Lex Records, he released his third full length record Manila Ice, an album about love and survival in the Philippines, in 2017. Showcasing his unique talent for lovesick composition and songwriting, the album was recorded around the birth of his first child and represents the hopes and fears of a young parent. It provided him with an escape from the realities of his personal life and the dramatic political events in his home city that continue to unfold.
Enlisting his local friends Jess Connelly, Ankhten Brown, Jasmine and Teenage Granny, Manila Ice sees Eyedress strip his electronic experimentation back to more traditional songwriting, bringing striking honesty to the DIY spirit and narratives that weave through the record.
The follow up was released in November 2018. Sensitive G is a deeply personal reflection on the joys and pains of his life in Manila told through the styles he was influenced whilst growing up in the US; R&B, dream-pop, indie rock, punk rock and G-funk. A more solitary affair, Sensitive G was recorded almost entirely by himself in his bedroom and demonstrates a more refined and visceral approach to his process and palette.
Following the release of Sensitive G he relocated from Manila to LA, and began collaborating with kindred spirits like Cuco and Inner Wave. Throughout 2019 his wild live show has been in high demand, and found him sharing stages with acts like Homeshake, Enjoy, Jasper Bones, N8NOFACE, and B Cool Aid, as well as supporting Inner Wave on their 13 date west coast tour in June.
TOUR DATES:
11/15 – Santa Barbara, CA @ KCSB
12/4 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
12/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Cid
12/10 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
EYEDRESS LINKS: