February 10, 2023
When we celebrated the transition to 2023, we at IMC knew that this year would bring us its share of good surprises. And the return of Daniel Etherton is one of them. And what a return! A real slap in the face. But rest assured, it's a slap that feels good!
So, for those who don't know Daniel Etherton, is an artist passionate about art in general, who comes from the UK, and who even hosts a podcast called "Art Club" which you can find on his website. We almost wrote "folk artist" because that's what Daniel had us used to when we met him in June 2021 with "Disappear". In an equally relaxing and calm genre, the Double-A side "Good in Goodbyes & Sand", which we presented to you in October 2021 also seduced us.
But beware, the Daniel Etherton of 2023 is completely different. No trace of the artist in 2022, and for good reason, he was working in the shadows on his debut EP. And the first single is Mona Lisa, out today on all platforms. Get ready for radical change. No more relaxing folk, hello powerful and frenzied pop.
With a super production worthy of Imagine Dragons, Daniel tries his hand at a more punchy, more alternative, and more daring genre. And it works! An overflowing energy, whether in the melody or in the vocals, in which Daniel gives everything. In "Mona Lisa", the singer addresses the character painted by the Italian Leonardo da Vinci, the canvas famous throughout the world for more than 500 years, and exhibited in the Louvre, in Paris. When music meets painting, the result is explosive.
Daniel addresses Mona Lisa as if she were real, fascinated by her intriguing gaze and her smile which is not one. Fascinated to the point of declaring his love for her in the first verse: "I can't believe I'm on my knees under your spell". Then the message becomes more direct: "I want you all for myself".
And in just 35 seconds, a super catchy chorus arrives without warning and takes us to the game of seduction. For the art enthusiast that is Daniel Etherton, it is ultimately logical that he wants to kidnap her. But more than an art enthusiast, we discover in this song a secret admirer ready to do anything to conquer his Renaissance heroine.
The desire, the passion, the love transpire in each line of the song, until the last line, which is also the first: "I'm staring at the Mona Lisa". This is where the song ends abruptly as if the singer had just woken up from a dream he had while contemplating the painting. For those uninitiated in art, it may seem a bit crazy to fantasize to such an extent about a work of art. But when it gives birth to a masterpiece like this song, it's perfectly justified.
And if you just listened to this whole song, and you wonder if it was a dream... no, it was real. This banger is undoubtedly one of our biggest favorites of 2023.
Reach out to Daniel Etherton
Comments(1)