Single: Foliage – What?

I have known Manuel aka Foliage for such a long time, that I feel like writing about him is not necessary. We worked for many years together under Z Tapes and I always enjoyed his dreamy, synth-based indie pop. But if you are new to the game, here is a nice description you should read:

Manuel Joseph Walker, better known as Foliage, is the 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer crafting his own sophisticated & shimmering Jangle-Pop all out of his bedroom.

San Bernardino, California, a small town notorious for its high crime and poverty rate, is the home of one of today’s most celebrated bedroom producers.

Though this broken atmosphere is discouraging, that didn’t stop Walker from painting his own world with a blend of romantic, well-thought 80’s guitar pop, propelled by J Dilla/Nujabes inspired drums calling back to the boom-bap era.

At the age of 15 with a desire to create, paired with a long-time passion for music, Manuel began to teach himself piano and guitar.

A drummer first and foremost, Walker took no time cranking out high-energy pop classics and passionate ballads, releasing his 2015 debut Truths at the age of 16. Follow-up Silence arrived in 2017, with his most critically acclaimed record to date, III, following in 2018.

All three records received major praise among the Bandcamp community as well as many Youtube taste-makers.

Recognized as part of a growing movement of young Mexican-American indie musicians, Walker dives deeper than his contemporaries’ R&B flavored sounds, carrying the torch for acts like The Field Mice, Prefab Sprout, and The Smiths.

2019’s “Take” ascends sonically and lyrically into Walker’s personal life and was written as a tool of self-help: focusing on mental health and finding triumph in battle.”

It’s bummer there is no mention of Z Tapes or Dowd Records which released his music, but whatever. Maybe labels are not cool anymore.

You can find more music on Bandcamp.