DPR Ian is what we call a modern-day creative genius. Not only is he exceptionally gifted musically, but his artistry, storytelling, directing, filmmaking, and vision are completely mind-blowing. That’s not even the entire list. His unique cinematic vision and attention to detail have everyone in awe, including long-time fans or new to the DPR universe. He is truly a SAINT in the industry, creating music that flows between different genres, which both live in its own world and open opportunities for the creative potential for aspiring artists and filmmakers. Speaking of saint, DPR IAN’s surprise EP SAINT marked his return, and we’re here to dive right into his newly expanded universe.
‘SKINS’
The six-track EP opens with ‘SKINS,’ a song Ian recently released as a single. While short in length, it’s packed with emotion. In the past, Ian has openly discussed his struggles with Dissociative Identity and Bipolar Disorder and how it influences his music and storytelling. Listening along to ‘SKINS’ feels like we’re listening to an internal conversation Ian is having with these different parts of himself we know as MITO and Mr Insanity. The lyrics repeated over the chorus, “I never asked to be like this,” make our heartbreak because it’s both relatable to an average listener and buried with more profound meaning when you take a more personal perspective rooted in mental health.
‘SAINT’
Count how many times we say the word cinematic because how else can you describe the SAINT EP by DPR IAN? Everything from the opening narration over the cinematic scene of a figure collecting what seems to be swords, screams, well…cinema. In fact, we’d buy a cinema ticket just to watch DPR Ian’s universe played out in front of us in HD.
The song ‘SAINT’ is haunting and brilliant. Through this new track, Ian introduces us to a new character who (when attempting to piece together his lore) exists before MITO and Mr Insanity. How do we know? Well, it’s all in the color! Although all the characters Ian introduces us to are extensions of himself, color is used consistently throughout his music videos to show us both, who is the focus of the story and who is in control. We’ve deciphered (and fact-checked) that the colors black, white, and red represent MITO. Mr Insanity is represented by the color violet (hence the track ‘Violet Crazy’ on his previous EP, Dear Insanity…). And now, this new character is blue. So, when watching Ian’s music videos, take another look at the color of his eyes when they illuminate, and the story will start to unwind.
‘LIMBO’
As we’ve said before, Ian’s music defies genres and lives in its own world. And ‘LIMBO’ is a perfect example of this. The track heavily references Edgar Alan Poe’s famous poem ‘The Raven’ where a talking raven drives a man mad. Add this to our list of reasons why Ian is a storytelling genius! Oh, the imagery is wild! The track begins with a focus on MITO, representing Ian’s manic lows. The song’s second section revolves around Mr Insanity, Ian’s manic highs. And the colors representing the characters are ever so present within the song. Visually, the music video is the partner of Ian’s hit ‘Don’t Go Insane.’ So it gets us thinking…could we expect more of Mr Insanity to come? Or is this Ian telling us this new character existed before Mr Insanity?
Instrumentals
The final three songs on the EP are the instrumental versions of ‘SKINS,’ ‘SAINT,’ and ‘LIMBO.’ We love listening to the instrumentals as it allows us to truly appreciate the production and layers that go into creating cinematic (we said it again) tracks like these.
Listening to DPR IAN is always an experience and one we can never get enough of. What’s your favorite song off his new EP? Did you decipher anything else about this new character? Let us know in the comments, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Discord!
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