Dying in the Subtlety

Cautious Clay’s “Dying in the Subtlety” is a funky, neo-rnb ode to our “age of distraction”, delivered in his unique manner.

In his words,

The song is a look at what it means to lose sight of the bigger picture in the context of friendship and relationship dynamics. It examines how subtle moments of emotional uncertainty or exuberance can sometimes serve as false negatives or false positives.

Cautious Clay is one my latest musical discoveries and one of my current favorite artists. I may be a little late to the party, but I damn sure dig his signature blend of neo-soul, rnb and hip-hop. On “Dying in the Subtlety” he delivers yet again, completely in sync with the truly distinctive style that catapulted Clay from a spare-time indie beatmaker to a John Mayer collaborator and vibrant emerging star in the span of less than three years.

On “Dying in the Subtlety” we find a groovy, compressed beat going hand in hand with warm and playful vocal work by Clay. The lyrics are completely in his fashion, snappy, playful and tongue-in-cheek. In the hands of a lesser performer, they would have sounded lazy, corny and even flat-out ridiculous. Cautious Clay, however, delivers them with tender soulfulness, and manages to make even lines like “love is just a passion with a four-letter name” catchy and nonchalant.

“Dying in the Subtlety” is the second single off his debut LP after Agreeable. The release is set to drop in 2021 and I have zero patience left!