Based in Long Beach, California, Mohawk Castle is an indie pop outfit spearheaded by its sole contributor Erik David Hidde, known for his work as the creative force for the acclaimed project Prison Escapee. ‘I Killed The Velvet Underground’ shows up as the closing cut on Hidde’s debut album as Mohawk Castle, titled ‘Die For Love’. The song, written in response to Hidde’s father’s cancer diagnosis, is an almost ambient exploration of Hidde’s relationship with his father. Heartfelt and profoundly deep, Hidde’s flawed vocals are the perfect vessel for his emotions. 

The song is defined by a rhythmic synth throb that does not cease throughout the song, a sparse beat consistently shows up then disappears alongside the soulful vocals in a perpetual duet dance. The song’s composition is bittersweet, touching on melancholic, and Hidde’s vocals are commandeering and confident, equally channeling Lou Reed’s deep lulls and Bowie’s flamboyance, remaining thoroughly Hidde throughout.

Mohawk Castle excels at being a living room art project, run by a single person with an array of gifts. A sparse and moving arrangement, a heartfelt lyrical and vocal delivery, and a superb indie song.

Mohawk Castle is the solo project of Long Beach, California-based musician David Hidde, most notably known for spearheading another critically acclaimed solo act Prison Escapee, as which he released 11 studio albums, as well as many singles and covers, and an EP. Hidde is active, and is always looking for ways to reinvent the way with which he approaches and makes music.

This all brings us to ‘Crawl to Me’, one of Hidde’s first releases as Mohawk Castle. A song that explores the themes of spiritual growth, coming to peace with one’s aging, and one’s place in their lifetime. He does that through a slow-moving chord progression that’s ethereal, and a mesmerizing arrangement that heaves from humble beginnings to rumbling crescendos, without ever losing grace or composure. Hidde mostly uses gently droning pads, and synth leads that are glistening, alongside a steady sub-bass, his eerily beautiful backing vocals, and down-to-earth lead vocal parts. The syncopated beat comes in for roughly half a minute, a high point in the middle of the song, before the arrangement sizzles back down as Hidde’s protagonist implores himself to let go of all the ghosts and curses he’s been holding on to, and crawl back to him, in a deeply stirring moment of coming to terms with oneself.

‘Crawl to Me’ is a gorgeous-sounding song. Beautiful production coalesces with a brilliant piece of songwriting and a neatly fitting arrangement. Self-recorded at home over a period of nine months, it is not hard to see the amount of care and love that went into every single bar of this hauntingly beautiful release.