Los Angeles New Wave Artist Blone Noble Envision’s Retro Futuristic VR in “Pretty Picture”

Adopting the alias Blone Noble, Pat Salway, a songwriter based in Los Angeles, draws from the synth-soaked vibes of late 70s Berlin by stitching together the theatrics of piano-driven glam rock and the cutting energy of new wave. His music pens an anthem for our turbulent times, reflecting the restless and suspicious spirit of today’s world.

Blone Noble’s latest track, “Pretty Picture,” marks a departure from the swaggering disco beats of his former single, “Weapon of Love.” The refined employment of weighty strings, unpredictable time patterns, key modulations, and Salway’s enticing sprechstimme vocal style invoke comparisons with The Stranglers, The Damned, Tuxedomoon, and Divine Comedy. Is it enough to survive the digital apocalypse?

“By the time this song comes out human consciousness might already be completely absorbed by artificial intelligence,” he quips. “I can’t wait to live out my fantasies in virtual reality!”

The visual interpretation for “Pretty Picture” uncannily mirrors the aesthetic of the 80s, with a curious vision of virtual reality. It’s a work of performance art reminiscent of the film experiments of Fad Gadget, guided by the directorial vision of Andrew Pitrone and the razor-sharp editing of Veneer Publications. The retro-futurism of yesteryear presents itself as a living, breathing metaphor of recurring dilemmas, albeit adorned in new trappings. This cyclical presentation of past and present encapsulates the ever-changing yet eerily similar socio-cultural landscape we continually navigate.

Live footage from this video was taken from the debut of Blone Noble at La Poubelle in Hollywood, CA with Billy Tibbals Band, as well as Marlena Schwenck, Brendan Peleo-Lazar, and Ian Scott Waters.

Watch the video for”Pretty Picture” below:

Embarking on his musical voyage as Blone Noble in 2021, Salway was accompanied by his wife Marlena’s steady bass and Brendan Peleo-Lazar’s dynamic drumming. This three-piece ensemble laid down their basic tracks live at Figment Sounds, nestled in Toluca Lake, with Rob Campanella—famed for his work with Brian Jonestown Massacre—maneuvering the engineering controls and sharing production duties. Synth embellishments were recorded interchangeably at Figment Sounds and Blone’s Hollywood Hills residence, a location steeped in history as the erstwhile library of the Theosophy temple, known as Krotona of Old Hollywood.

Watch on Bandcamp via Curation Records:

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