Abaday is not just a musician, but rather a world-builder who has made the unpolished, unapologetic grit of the DIY aesthetic an art form in its own right. While the musician is known as the “grandfather” of the Israeli DIY music video scene, his fingerprints are everywhere, having created over one hundred DIY music videos that have redefined the very notion of independent music visuals. For Abaday, the lens is every bit as much an instrument as the synth, and his visuals are not merely promotional tools but the very lifeblood of the records themselves. On February 27th, the culmination of Abaday’s unrelenting creative energy was the release of Nosleep. This eight-song odyssey captures the frenetic, beautiful horror of the sleepless mind, the mind that never hits the ‘off’ button. It is an album that is at once the shared secret of the unapologetically unique world Abaday inhabits, and I’m here to take you through the waking dream of this incredible album.
The song starts with the title “אספנית” (The Collector), and it does not start with a bang but rather with a false sense of a low electronic hum that sounds like a heartbeat racing away. Once the beat starts, though, Abaday’s vocals kick in with a rhythmic and almost spoken word grit to the lyrics. The song is about the emotional hoarding of memories from past relationships, and this is done through the thick and distorted bass that acts as the foundation of the song. The vocals are breathless and urgent, and this makes you feel the desperation of the song and the emotions that Nosleep is all about, setting the bar very high from the very start.
As the song moves into לאבה (Lava), the song begins with a piercing synth riff that evokes the heat implied by the title, but quickly settles into a jagged industrial beat. This is no slow burn; this is a volcanic eruption of frustrated emotion. The song grapples with the destructive force of passion, where love is no haven and instead melts all in its path. Abaday’s voice shifts from a low, brooding mumble to a soaring, desperate shout in the chorus. The song is chaotic yet well-controlled, using percussive beats to punctuate the “burn” of the lyrics, leaving the listener feeling exhilarated yet slightly singed.
With תגידי ביי (Say Bye), the mood changes as the song begins with a clean, staccato guitar riff that feels surprisingly cheerful compared to the rest of the songs. Nevertheless, the subject matter here is the bleakness of a relationship coming to a close, the moment you know there’s nothing left to say but “goodbye.” The musicality here is a stark brilliance, as the production is sleek and dances well, almost pop-inspired. Still, there’s a sarcastic undertone to Abaday’s vocals and the vocals of the artist Edri Cohen, which makes you think “dance away the pain” in a way that makes this one of the more relatable moments in the album for anyone who’s ever tried to do just that to a hollow chest.
The emotional heart of the album can be found in the song “כאבים” (Pains), as it opens with a haunting, bare piano melody, a rare sound on the album. It discusses the physicality of emotional pain, exploring the idea that it can manifest in the body. The instrumentation gradually builds from here, as pads are added to the piano until a crescendo of sound is reached. Abaday’s vocals here are superb, as she demonstrates her range from a whisper to a powerful, booming belt. It’s exhausting in the best way possible, leaving the listener feeling bare and exposed.
The album releases tension with “עפה” (Flying), which commences with a psychedelic synth loop that makes one feel as if they are floating away. The theme here is escapism, the need to escape the mess that life has become. It’s a musical experience that’s light and free, with a reverb-drenched vocal sound that makes Abaday sound as if he’s calling from another world. The instrumentation here has a driving beat that gives a sense of movement. It’s a relief, a moment of respite that makes one feel the high of leaving one’s troubles behind. This song features a few English words to let listeners know his deepest, darkest secret: he is still lost over his ex. A story that we can all relate to
Then we have the track ‘ואלה לה’ (For Real, to her), which also features Edri Cohen. The song gets off to an immediately impressive start with its distorted, fuzzy bass riff, which sounds incredibly gritty and street-like. The lyrics are casual and unpolished, addressing the disillusionment of the modern social scene and the empty promises people make. The vocals are equally impressive, with an almost melodic rap that showcases Abaday’s range as an artist. The instrumentation is equally unadorned, but heavy, with the focus being on the beat, making it a ‘cool’ track that belies its cynical undertones, hitting the listener with the vibe in an unsettling way.
The penultimate track, סופה (Storm), which begins with the literal sound of wind rising, soon gives way to a thundering drum fill. This is the “storm” that the album has been building toward. The theme here is the inevitability of chaos and the attempt to find a center in a world that seems to be falling apart at every turn. The musicality here is grand and cinematic, with layered synths that sound very much like crashing waves and a vocal performance that can only be described as operatic in its scope. This is a sonic assault that leaves the listener gasping for breath, precisely capturing the feeling of being in the middle of something life-changing.
The album ends with פריק (Freak), which begins with a lonely, distorted synth pulse that can only be described as an SOS signal. The theme here is one of final acceptance at being an outsider, the “freak” who does not conform to the status quo. The music here is minimal, allowing the focus to remain on the lyrics and the rough, unpolished vocals. There is a level of peace here, a final “exhale” after the storm that was the previous songs. It leaves the listener in a contemplative state, ending the “no sleep” journey not with a resolution but with a sense of defiance toward one’s own identity.
With his latest release, לא ישנתי צהריים (Lo Yashanti Tzohorayim / “Nosleep”), Abaday brings us a lightning strike of a project, offering eight tracks in the brief, frenetic span of 22 minutes. It is a tight, kinetic explosion of pop, moving with the restless, caffeinated energy of thoughts that come in the dead of night, inevitably leading to the day’s consequences. Abaday is an artist with a rare, unfiltered grit who writes from the gut, shoots from the hip, and retains that fierce independent spirit, where the music and the visuals come from the same heartbeat. There is a depth, a magnetic honesty, to this music that transcends the language. Even though, as a listener, I am not necessarily accustomed to the genre or the tongue, the intention comes through loud and clear. It’s a testament to the power of the language of art that music can make one feel all the feelings without the need for translation. Abaday, you are a formidable talent, and this “fabulous” sonic journey is a reminder of why we fall in love with music in the first place: it’s raw, it’s real, and it’s impossible to ignore.
Stream the “Nosleep” EP on Spotify
Follow Abaday here and his socials: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
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