Ears Wide Open: The Simps

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The Simps (Photo by Agatha Powa)

L.A. artists Eyedress and Zzzahara officially revealed their new collaboration, called The Simps, with the release of “On Fye.” An echo-laden, post-punk-derived track with bedroom production, it’s accompanied by an allusive music video directed by Bobby Astro. The clever visuals offer a glimpse into what would be if the characters in Jonah Hill’s movie, “Mid90s,” all grew up to be angsty adult skaters with the same reckless, daredevil attitude of their youth.

But the track is not about doing tricks and flips. “On Fye” is a dream-pop love song about finally finding the right person and being willing to do anything for them. The duo’s voices are hazy and ethereal in their own right, and together, they highlight each other’s tender and unique harmonies.

“For the first time, it all seems alright / I ain’t hurting / I’m not in pain / It feels uncommon, but I will take it / I will take it and make it mine,” Zzzahara (aka Zahara Jaime) croons with their raw vocals buried underneath a wash of textured guitar and vintage machine drums.

The single’s release follows the duo’s recent solo projects. In August, Eyedress, better known as Idris Vicuña, came out with his fifth album, “Let’s Skip to the Wedding.” Vicuña has since gone viral with his track, “Jealous.”

Jaime also delivered a new EP titled, “Simp.Wav” in October. Influenced by the backyard punk scene, Jaime spent years playing shows in and around Highland Park, where the artist was born and raised.

The two didn’t cross paths until 2018. After dropping out of a master’s degree program, Jaime that night attended an Eyedress show in L.A. “My life changed tenfold from what it was before,” Jaime said on Instagram.

After meeting, Vicuña offered Jaime a position as his guitarist and back-up vocalist. Replacing textbooks and study sessions with guitar notes and setlists, Jaime began sharing the stage with Vicuña and is also featured in a handful of his music videos.

Between shows last year as Eyedress, the duo worked on their first album together. They initially debuted as the Simps in March of 2019 with the track, “Miss Fortunate,” featuring an imperfectly perfect DIY production and lo-fi vocals.

“On Fye” is the first single to the Simps’ upcoming debut album. And with where it’s going, it seems they can only skate uphill from here.

||| Stream: “On Fye”

||| Watch: The video for “On Fye”