Serj Tankian–lead vocalist of GRAMMY Award-winning band System Of A Down—has just dropped his latest single and accompanying music video, “Cartoon Buyer.” from his newly released EP Foundations. The track, now available worldwide, continues Tankian’s musical style of combining rebellious, thought-provoking lyrics with innovative sounds. Just this July, Tankian released “Justine Will Shine On” shortly after his dispute with Imagine Dragons, where he expressed his disapproval of the latter’s performance in Baku.
“Cartoon Buyer” starts in a subdued, folk-like manner, featuring Tankian playing acoustic guitar with hushed vocals. As the song progresses, it builds in intensity with an explosive crescendo, erupting into a sonic catharsis, where Tankian sings passionately about humanity’s divisions. He sings “You see me without emotions/ I see you across the oceans,” before declaring unity across the globe: “California to Argentina…Saudi Arabia to Tunisisa…Armenia to Australia.”
The “Cartoon Buyer” music video features Tankian performing the song passionately in a blue light, strumming his guitar. The video is very minimalistic in effects, focusing on being Tankian himself alongside his band. Rather than have some profound imagery, the accompanying music video for “Cartoon Buyer” invites audiences to listen to Tankian’s lyrics.
Listen to and watch Serj Tankian’s “Cartoon Buyer” here:
“Cartoon Buyer” is just one track from Foundations, an explorative EP compiling songs from different periods of Tankian’s life. Featuring a range of sounds and styles, the EP mixes folk, rock, and orchestral elements into a cohesive whole. The project was recorded at his own Serjical Strike Studios in Los Angeles, where Tankian handled everything from writing and producing to performing many of the instruments himself. Longtime collaborators such as SOAD drummer John Dolymayan and bassist Mario Pagliarulo also pitch a hand in this latest EP.
Alongside his music endeavors, Tankian also hosted private reception for his inaugural art exhibition of ‘The Lost Technique” last month. The event was held at Tankian’s Eye For Sound Gallery which is also the home of his other project, the Kavat Coffee Shop. For more about Serj Tankian, be sure to check out our previous articles and coverage of the artist here.
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