Nashville alchemist CS Hellmann serves up a heady brew with his latest single, "Burned Romances," a kaleidoscopic track that makes entering a hazy dream not advisable, as you won't want to get out. It's in the crescendo that Hellmann truly flexes his wings; spectral layers stack and swirl, producing a moment that's less a song and more a spell, yet stirring, cinematic, and heartfelt.
Starting with a smouldering 80s-inflected intro, the song evokes lingering vestiges of The War on Drugs' protracted atmospherics, Peter Gabriel's deep emotional undercurrent, and David Bowie's theatrical soul. Hellmann creates a space all his own in the shadows, beckoning listeners inside for a cinematic world that's both intimate and widescreen.
Its metallic, otherworldly vocal delivery is striking, cold, and detached, but with an undercurrent of emotion. There's a sick solace to be found in the discordance then, like watching a storm from behind plates of glass. With a melody that drifts in like a ghost, dreamy and relentless, the sort you find still sloshing around in your head hours after the track is over.
Recorded at Polychrome Ranch with Jared Corder and assisted by Kriss Jedd, Burned Romances finds CSI-666 effortlessly blending the stomp and thump of vintage drum machines with the live throb of drums. This deceptively nuanced element adds a touch of retro groove and modern energy to the mix. For Nashville fans, the opportunity to hear this live is just around the corner: CS Hellmann performs at The Underdog in East Nashville on Aug. 13, 2025. From the sound of "Burned Romances," his set will be one to be remembered. Stream "Burned Romances" now and get ready to be haunted in all the right ways.
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