One of my long-time favorites here on Music Is My King Size Bed is BACK with new music for the first time in…well, a little while. A 19 years-old, Aiden Grimshaw first caught my attention during the seventh series of X-Factor, where he came in ninth place (Matt Cardle took the crown that season—WOMP WOMP). Following his elimination, Aiden was quickly snatched up by RCA Records, with whom he subsequently released his debut LP, Misty Eye in 2012. While a name-change followed (dropping his surname) with the release of a self-titled EP in 2013 (“Aiden“) the budding talent has been seemingly M.I.A. ever since. Fast forward to the morning of July 30 2015 and the release of a delightfully synthful new earworm called “Virtually Married.” AND let the swooning commence. Why don’t you give it a listen below?
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While Aiden‘s soulful vocals were PARTIALLY what sparked my attention back in 2010, I neglected to mention his boyish good looks and awkward charm. Yessir, he’s still got both of those things today, and seemingly a bit more confidence as well. When The Line of Best Fit premiered “Virtually Married” yesterday, they cited its simple, yet “addictive” chorus and “infectious” hooks, further praising it for “chilled-out auras” calling it an “exciting new chapter for Grimshaw.” Yes. Yes. Yes and yes. All of the above! “Virtually Married” is a finely-crafted, modern synth pop gem, chock-full of Disclosure-esque bass wobbles and garage chords, all things which work well with his soulful raspiness and smooth-as-silk falsetto. The song feels very “IN“…very “RIGHT NOW” without feeling over-thought or over-done. It also feels like a natural progression from the sound/vibe of some of his earlier material—in particular, his debut single “Is This Love,” a sexy (if not slightly cluttered-sounding) synthpop stunner with heavy drum and bass influences. It’s unfortunate that Grimshaw didn’t explore that sound more in his debut. I guess that what second albums are for, right? “Virtually Married” sounds like the kind of track Aiden was supposed to release.
“Virtually Married” was written by Grimshaw (alongside Dan Dare, Paul Harris) and MEMEB in the South of Spain, with MEMEB also serving as producer. In Aiden’s own words, “The track is a brief insight into my trip to Spain to work with artist-producer MEMEB, ‘Virtually Married’ places emphasis on how quickly everything can change & once there is change, you struggle to remember how it was before.” I’m excited to hear more fruits of their labor. Hopefully we get a new EP/album out of him this year! Welcome back Aiden!
Stream the track on SoundCloud and keep up to date with Aiden‘s by following his various channels below.
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