Free Country – Narcan Summer (2020)

Jason Ribadeneyra is the artist behind Free Country which started off as a home recording project. While he has released an EP under his own name, he has only released one album under this alias. He is now adding to his musical catalogue with ‘Narcan Summer’.

The track marks a loss inspired by a summer Ribadeneyra spent in his hometown in western Massachusetts. When the town was suddenly flooded with Fentanyl, he went through the pain of losing close friends and a brother to opioid overdoses. To make sense of the tragedy, he turned to music to honour and grieve for those lost. The track is also a way of dealing with the guilt of having survived.

‘Narcan Summer’ sets a dark tone from the start with deep synths. Lighter synths add a hazy vibe to the track. There is a simple melody used on this track, but the economy of the arrangement creates the perfect backdrop for the heart of the song. The lyrics and vocals are the focus and shine brighter against the hazy melody.

Ribadeneyra’s vocals have a throaty tone that delivers the emotions of the lyrics. This song hits you with all the emotions he felt in full force from grief to despair. All of this is done through sheer vocal intonation alone making this single a showcase of what he has to offer.

Free Country works through grief, despair, survivors guilt and senseless loss using vocal intonation alone on ‘Narcan Summer’. The track is a hazy and sombre account of a depressing summer full of loss with an anthemic feel to it.

Find out more about Free Country on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.