It doesn’t take long for Au Gres to bounce back.
The Fenton indie pop singer-songwriter quickly overcomes obstacles and challenges on his latest aspirational single, “do you think we’re old enough (DYTWOE).”
“This song for me is all about what happens when ambitions and dreams are met with disappointment. I don’t consider it to be a ‘sad song’ though,” said Josh Kemp, aka Au Gres.
“The road to success is bumpy, and there’s a lot to learn along the way. The song comes from feeling let down, but I’m optimistic that dreams can be achieved.”
Au Gres keeps his perspective on “DYTWOE” as trilling synths, quaky drums, calm bass, contemplative acoustic guitars and spirited electric guitars melodically provide a reassuring nod.
He sings, “Take apart all the good things/Stripped away, what’s there to do/So many times I’ve tried/But I just don’t remember.”
“I think pursuing your passion is a wonderful thing to do, but it can be disheartening when things don’t go the way you planned,” Kemp said. “My hope for this track is that it will help people feel less alone in that pursuit and encouraged to keep going.”
For Au Gres, the “DYTWOE” journey started last summer with a draft recording. He later ventured to Cincinnati to finalize the track with producer Alexandre Hirlinger.
“We spent about three days working on it and had the best time,” Kemp said. “We’re inspired by a lot of the same music, including COIN and Mini Trees, and it felt like we were synced up the whole time.”
Au Gres also synced up the release of “DYTWOE” with a crafty companion lyric video, which features interchanging magazine cutout letters pasted against a crinkled paper background.
“The video has a sort of ‘scrapbook’ feel to it,” Kemp said. “I made the entire thing myself with found images, and I’m really proud of how it all came together (despite my lack of visual art skills).”
“DYTWOE” serves as Au Gres’ first new material and third single since releasing the self-comfort anthem, “At Home in the Dark” last February. His growing catalog of thoughtful indie pop gems continues to play on repeat in fans’ ears and heads.
“My 2022 has been fairly quiet so far, but I’ve been using the time to write a lot of music. I think I’m very lucky to have so many close friends pursuing the same things as me,” Kemp said. “Learning from them and watching them accomplish their goals has always been a great source of inspiration.”
With “DYTWOE” gaining traction, Au Gres wants to share additional new material later this year. It’s likely to be a compelling mixture of solo and collaborative tunes.
“This year is all about collaboration for me,” Kemp said. “I’m working closely with a lot of different artists and plan to release a lot more music, both as a featured artist as well as under my own catalog.”
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