[Cover photo credit to Ross Bustin]

Self-described “Freak-Folk” artist Cereus Bright has released his psychedelic new album Anything via Nettwerk. The alter-ego of songwriter Tyler Anthony, Cereus Bright tackles philosophical themes of existentialism (“Horizons”), pondering if life is only about the ordinary (“Chasing the Feeling”), or if there’s more behind the curtain (“Ride”).

He explains:

Where my last record was very personal and intimate, I wanted this project to expand to bigger ideas. I attempted to take the mundane and make it abstract. When you put something familiar in an unfamiliar place, you see it differently. To get there, I explored more mythological and otherworldly ideas and sounds than ever before – while trying to retain the core intimacy of songwriting that I’ve always strived for. I hope what we made is a perfect balance.

Anthony also experienced changes in his life, recently leaving his day job in Knoxville and moving to Mexico City to help establish a recording studio, exhibition space, and community center with a group of local Mexican artists called Casa de Copa Studios. He’s described the experience thus far as “the wildest, hardest, and most exciting I’ve ever had. Learning every day.” 

He expands on the album:

There’s a sense of dissonance and friction in the music, and our instincts as humans are to resolve friction and dissonance. The older I get, the more I realize being okay with not resolving dissonance is part of living. If you’re in the daily nine-to-five grind, I want you to feel like you can dream beyond that. If you’re chasing a fanciful ambition, I hope you feel like it’s okay to be grounded at times. Modernity pushes absolutes. However, there’s a lot of good from the mystery in the middle. The real heartbeat of these songs is struggling with ordinary existence.