“In this city, you can only survive by becoming part of it – or burning down to the ground,” roughly this is how the classic formula of noir dystopias sounds, from “Blade Runner” to “Sin City.” It’s hard not to give in to this exhaustion in an environment that methodically grinds a person down. But what to do if you don’t want to give up, yet the chaos accumulated inside needs to be released? Canadian singer and producer Roxanne offers her own version of releasing this chaos, having released the stylish, pulsating single “Inferno City.”
Having received an education in “performing arts” with an in-depth study of classical music and opera, Roxanne began her career as a solo vocalist and member of choirs of musical collectives and theater companies, performing on prestigious stages of North America – including the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and Carnegie Hall in New York. Over the years of her career she mastered pop, rock, soul, jazz, funk, and even afrobeat, managed to work as a backing vocalist and producer – and now brings all this experience into much darker, electronic waters. To understand the atmosphere of the single, it’s enough to close your eyes and imagine a nighttime megacity, shrouded in smoke, where neon signs reflect in wet asphalt, while a frantic rhythm pulsates all around. The city here is a full-fledged character, with whom the heroine conducts a dangerous dialogue. The “Inferno” metaphor works flawlessly: it is both burnout from the frantic pace of life, and an attempt to cleanse oneself through the destruction of old attachments.
Musically, the track rests on dark pop, synthwave and contemporary club electronica. A dense 4/4 beat and pulsating bass set continuous forward motion. Analog synthesizers and anxious effects like distant sirens and industrial noise create a dense, tangible noir atmosphere. Tension builds skillfully from verse to chorus, leading to a genuine emotional catharsis. I’d separately recommend listening closely to the vocal dramaturgy. Roxanne masterfully uses her impressive range. In the verses the voice sounds restrained, and the listener finds themselves as if in personal isolation, alone with inner anxiety. But when the needle of the emotional gauge goes off the scale, in the chorus the vocal opens up – it flies over the dense synth-bass, expressing protest and an attempt to break free from urban captivity.
“Inferno City” turned out to be a rare example of quality conceptual electronica. It has everything: club drive that makes you move, depth that makes you empathize, and flawless production. In my view, Roxanne’s “Inferno City” is a small urban drama lasting three and a half minutes. Like the heroes of the noir stories with which this conversation began – the city here doesn’t let go easily. But that’s precisely why it’s so interesting to watch this struggle.
