Last year René Peraza started commenting here at PPM and later on, delivered one of my favorite singles of 2023 in a song I’m still frequently playing. His latest work is out there on the streaming platforms and can be bought in the download platforms as well. In it, he dares to declare there’s “Nothing New [Under The Sun]” but will the song bear that thought out?

René: Nothing New [Under The Sun] – US – DL [2024]

1. Nothing New [Under The Sun] 3:23

Dynamic synths immediately descended in the intro but the driving pulsebeat of the aggressive and insistent drum pattern, courtesy of Matt Becks, was the immediate attention grabber on “Nothing New [Under The Sun].” Spartan peals of guitar were echoed by glassy synths until René entered the song in a hushed voice; emphasizing the delicacy of his singing juxtaposed against those bold, intricate drums still moving at twice the tempo of the melody.

The prominent drums moved to the floor of the mix in time for the soaring chorus, where Mr. Peraza occasionally doubled his vocals for an emphatic burst of energy. In the transition between the first chorus and the second verse, the string synths were shockingly pulse gated and ping ponged from channel to channel in a deft hook echoing the rhythm pattern!

This was another tour-de-force of a single from René; following on last summer’s “The Siren [Aye Aye].” There was still top quality singing and arrangement, delivered in a package that was just as complex and unpredictable, but this time sporting an even better lyric that really had a lot of resonance for our times. The 3:22 running time seemed to be a tease; I hope there’s a universe where songs this good could get a 12″ version…hopefully.

And kudos were to be extended to René for having the taste to have this mastered, as usual, by Grammy winner Michael Romanowski of Coast Mastering, who once more delivers a high quality file, full of dynamic range that encourages listening. As with “The Siren [Aye Aye],” the apparently sleepless René once more found time to direct his music video as seen above. Here’s hoping he can find more time to record music this vibrant, and soon. Until then, DJ hit that button!

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