As I was listening to Steven Anthony’s latest single, “Melancholy,” I felt like drifting in a low-hanging cloud in my room, the kind that softens the world and sharpens whatever you’re feeling. The Los Angeles artist keeps a small online footprint, yet his music carries a startling emotional clarity. He often pairs his songs with nature footage on Instagram, and that aesthetic bleeds into this track: atmospheric, patient, and quietly cinematic. Ideal for moments of introspection and relaxation.
The production leans into a lo-fi palette: it opens up with a lone arpeggio of what sounds like a Rhodes piano or an organ, with heavy tape saturation. Then, warped synths, softened pianos, and electric keys start to pulse together with a gently saturated 808 or 909 drum kit. As a music producer, I enjoyed the slow, almost sleepwalking drum grooves holding everything in suspension, as well as that analog warmth that those of us cassette kids tend to lean towards. Beneath it all sits what sounds like field recordings of rain or a distant storm, making the track fit right in Anthony’s visual aesthetic. Reverb-heavy vocals sit forward but not up front, while airy backing choirs deepen the sense of space. I missed the use of more ear candy and nuanced instrumentation, but this is more up to each producer’s personal touch. The mix never feels cluttered, which speaks to Logan Ryan’s hand in the post-production process, and its simplicity makes it translate nicely to many kinds of playback devices (of course, I tested it in my phone speaker, and I was tempted to run it through my old cassette tape deck).
As Anthony himself said, the spark for the song came from nostalgia, specifically the urge to remember who he was “before the pressures of the world” took over. That sentiment sits right at the center of the lyrics: short, stark lines about distance, identity, and the dissonance between who we are and who the world pushed us to become. As he said, he creates his own instrumentals, shaping the tone first before letting the words emerge, and that workflow shows. The soundbed feels to me like a memory, and the vocal becomes the thought rising out of it.
Listening to “Melancholy” made me feel weightless, as if floating in my quiet home studio where every emotion had space to stretch out. However, it also nudged something sad in the chest, the kind of feeling that doesn’t drag you down but reminds you you’re still alive. Even with its dark ambient shimmer, the message feels grounding, like an invitation to return to yourself, but without resorting to the eerie or unsettling that is often abused in these genres. And don’t get me wrong, it is definitely a relaxing tune.
“Melancholy” may be subtle, but it lingers. It’s the kind of single that rewards close listening, especially if you’re drawn to sadcore textures or introspective sound design. And it marks Steven Anthony as an artist who shapes mood with precision, not noise. His world is quiet, but it speaks and resonates deeply. Ideal to enjoy it just like I did: alone in a quiet, cozy evening.
Written by Gabi SaltaSoles, DIY producer and storyteller
