Gene Therapy, a one-man alternative rock band led by Aaron Bailey (vocals, guitars, bass, drums), really challenges the way we see music. "For the longest time, the music industry has arbitrated success," says Bailey. "But it's been slowly changing." In fact, before social media blew up, music didn't stand a chance unless it received radio airplay, which normally was only accessible by artists signed to labels. But now that many people discover music via online resources that are accessible to anyone with access to a computer, anyone who's anyone has a reasonable shot at being heard globally.
Gene Therapy's debut concept EP Seahorse follows Bailey's life as a new single father. “It was a really hectic and emotional part of my life, so I turned to music for solace,” Bailey explains. His story is evident in the way his lyrics flow with all the emotion of a classical poet, and are further complimented by intricate rhythms and powerful progressions. His album makes full use of dynamic range, with aggressive in-your-face riffs that flow abruptly into smooth, soulful passages. "One problem with signed artists is that they don't have to necessarily be good stylistically. Their label can just pay a studio a bunch of money to polish their turds of musical parts, so to speak." Aaron Bailey prides himself on the fact that he recorded his entire debut EP in his garage and mixed and mastered everything on a modest laptop. "It's not about having a crew behind you who are expert copy and pasters and know how to make a mix sound shiny. It's about the soul and emotion from the artist, which flow from an artist's imperfections, which I feel like many labels aim to cover up."
Indeed, the music industry is well saturated with over compressed cookie cutter mixes that are sometimes only on the forefront because of the amount of airtime they’re able to buy, playing the same tracks ad nauseam until they stick. Some artists aren’t even trying to be artists anymore.
If you're in the market for new indie flavors, however, Gene Therapy's 6 song EP Seahorse is available for free download on Bandcamp.