Eyedress

Eschewing simple genre classifications from the outset, Filipino singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer Eyedress soon struck a chord with listeners with his ebullient lyrics, shimmering riffs and forward-thinking beats—although what you would get from one of his new releases was often a lottery, with guest vocalists aplenty taking the helm on much of his eclectic early discography. Born Idris Vicuña in 1990 in Makati, Philippines, he was raised in a deprived Manila neighbourhood before relocating to Arizona and later California with his family. Earning his stripes in the crust punk scene as the bassist for local Orange County outfit Liberal Underground, he eventually returned to his homeland in his teens, where he co-founded the psychedelic-inspired garage pop group Bee Eyes in 2005 and served a stint as the band’s lead guitarist prior to embarking on an illustrious solo career. Primarily known as a beatmaker at this stage, he soon caught the attention of XL Recordings imprint Abeano, with whom he released his first EP, Supernatural, in 2013. Increasingly exhibiting a DIY flair and a vast array of musical influences, he went on to pay homage to late footwork pioneer DJ Rashad on 2014’s “Polo Tee”, releasing a free mixtape entitled Hearing Colors the same year before returning alongside an all-star cast of collaborators with the 2015 debut album Shapeshifter. Featuring contributions from his labelmate, Bermondsey-based cult favourite King Krule (under his Edgar the Breathtaker alias), as well as rising alternative rapper Oscar #worldpeace and Night Slugs signee Sweyn Jupiter, it continued to broaden his reach, with a more indie-oriented follow-up, Manila Ice, arriving two years later via renowned independent label Lex on a range of physical and digital formats. His breakthrough, however, would come with his uptempo fourth LP, 2020’s Let’s Skip to the Wedding, which spawned a major hit in the form of its third single, “Jealous”. The song amassed tens of millions of streams, reaching #15 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart and marking his chart debut. After collaborating with N8Noface, Natia and The Simps, he returned in 2021 with the Elvia-featuring new single “Cotton Candy Skies”. He followed it up with fourth album Mulholland Drive in 2021, welcoming a plethora of guest producers and artists who comprised the majority of the tracks, and struck gold with the LP's first single "Something About You," which featured Dent May and became a viral hit. Full Time Lover was released in 2022 along with the Siblings collaborative album with The Simps & Zzzahara and an array of singles in 2023, including "Teen Mom," "Dark Prince" and "My Simple Jeep" featuring Mac DeMarco, "Separate Ways" featuring the Marias and "Sadie Hawkins Prom."