Boombox Blitz: GATTISON undergoes a tremendous ‘Transformation’
The alt-pop upstart stands in the sun as his most authentic self.
Welcome to Boombox Blitz, an artist spotlight series showcasing overlooked singers, songwriters and musicians who are quietly taking over the world.
“Praying the gay away” never did anybody any good. In fact, it’s known to cause deep, irreparable damage. It’s often a unique journey to find one’s way out of perhaps dated thinking or misinterpretations of such ancient texts as the Bible. Alternative electro-pop upstart GATTISON fortunately maneuvered through a very complicated, nine-year marriage (and his own previous work as a minister) to uncover who he truly was. His song “Transformation,” packed tight with reality-distorting synths and magnetic saxophone, depicts his entire journey ⏤ from the realization that he couldn’t possibly change who he was and the enlightenment that struck him like lightning once he made the move to acceptance. “When you feel it in your heart, do what you gotta do,” he whispers, the gummy production tugging him along.
When it became clear praying was only covering up denial, GATTISON, who has two children with his ex, embraced his “existence,” as he admits in song. “You’ve got more to gain than to lose.” Time was his only solvent, and once the facade fell away, he took on body armor he could never have expected. “We were heavily involved in the evangelical church and operating under the belief that you could pray the gay away. Well, almost a decade later we fully understood that wasn’t a belief that was true,” he told LoverBoy magazine. “My ex-wife, the mother of my two beautiful children, is now my best friend and next door neighbor and we travel speaking about love and how love is a liberating force.”
The visual, directed by Joshua Thomas from Cassanova Films, utilizes butterfly imagery to signify his rebirth. “Say what you gotta say,” he urges. Sticky, gooey, sweltering production pulses around his voice; there’s an intense electricity embedded in its style, even as his voice coolly slides around with an easy presence.
“Transformation” is lifted from GATTISON’s forthcoming EP.
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