Mar 08, 2023
By Caleb Campbell
Photography by Nicole Mago
Next month, Brooklyn producer and singer/songwriter Chris Cubeta is set to debut his latest album, APOE, out April 7th. Inspired by his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Cubeta describes the record as an intensely personal exploration of memory and loss, traced via buoyant rhythms, layered grooves, and vibrant melodies. Earlier this year he teased the record with its lead singles, “Vicious” and “Architect,” and today he’s back with his latest effort, “I’m Tired of This,” premiering with Under the Radar.
“I’m Tired of This” is a winding and meditative effort, largely carried by a steady drum loop and dreamy synth line. Meanwhile, Cubeta’s vocals float above the reflective balladry, soaring on lush string arrangements as he explores the hard realities of aging: “We’ve wasted our time on a lie / My headstone will say that I tried / I’m sorry I’ve been afraid for way too long / This can’t be real, it’s gone too fast / It must be wrong.” Steadily, the song grows more fervent and impassioned before the vocals fall away for an extended dreamy and textured outro, letting the song’s emotive weight and hypnotic grooves carry it to a close.
Cubeta explains of the track, “As with most of the songs on APOE, ‘I’m Tired of This’ started with a drum loop. I had recently started to play a synthesizer called an Oberheim. This was the new version of the keyboard made by Dave Smith Instruments. The keyboard has a very distinct sound. I fell in love with a particular patch, which became the main sound of the recurring musical theme throughout the song. Lyrically, this one is pretty straightforward; it’s a song about realizing that my life is probably more than half over. It’s also about recognizing patterns in the way I live and trying to change them as I grow older (with varying results). What really makes this song special for me is Rob Moose on strings. He’s one of the most inspiring musicians and collaborators I’ve ever worked with, and watching him create and perform the string arrangement for this song is one of my all-time favorite moments in the studio.
Check out the song below. APOE is out everywhere on April 7th.