Tyler Peters - ​SELF

Tyler Peters

​SELF
self-released; 2017

3.4 out of 5

By Dom Peters
​

Tyler Peters is from a little mountain town in Arizona called Payson. He has been writing poetry since the age of 20, but this was a natural gift of his; he’d write wherever he was and whenever he could. He had struggles, as do we all, and poetry was the escape into which he could pour his emotions. It was in the summer of last year that his heart told him to combine his poetic “spoken word” style of singing with something melodic.

​After a few months of playing, what he’s achieved on this insane, dark and twisted album is incredible. He hasn’t played live yet, but the music is, in itself, is a huge accomplishment which he never expected to become a reality. To be honest, I never would have been able to imagine music like this in any reality either.

The mammoth 18-track album Self recently released by Tyler Peters starts with the reverberating, warbling electric guitar chords of “Enter The Self.” It surely does enter the listener into the psychedelic madness which is to ensue throughout the remainder of the tracks. Of course, the jolting, dissonant and jarring sound of this distorted, mind-boggling madness might welcome some with open arms and others with a twisted, malevolent smile. Either way, it’s musically intriguing and a captivating piece of work at the hands of an unknown singer. It’s rare to hear such unique, foreign and new sounds from an electric guitar; the instrument which has been mostly done to death after decades of overuse.

“Dark Knight” continues the insanity and disturbing nature of the first track. It’s messy, clumsy and peculiar. A bass line throbs incessantly as fractured, endlessly-reverberating electric guitar riffs screech and echo into infinity. Peters’ vocals take on a talking approach, as he mumbles about “searching for answers on this quest” and other vague statements relating to the mysterious “dark knight.” For all its rhythmic inconsistency, everything feels planned, structured and… right. It’s off-putting, but then the dark figure in question sounds shady and off-putting as well.

“How It Wanted It To Be” continues to a beat-less theme on Peters’ album, but the steady and slightly detached consistency of the electric guitar chords which ring off into the atmosphere continue this deranged and maddening look into Peters’ head. He’s putting his troubled thoughts onto paper not only in terms of his words, but the music behind them. I genuinely wanted to listen further, and this track was no exception.

“Black Feathered Wings” is the first song which, musically, retains a steady pace in terms of the acoustic guitar chord progression which drives the song. A warbling and biting electric guitar reverberates far off in the distance as Peters speaks poetic words which claim that “Not all birds spread their wings / Some will die.” While he always restrains himself and never quite delves into full-blown singing, his poetry needs only be spoken to truly convey its meaning.

There’s no denying that Peters has a unique style. The dark, twisted and messy nature of it all is intentional and accompanies the intriguing lyrics which Peters has penned to join the instrumental elements of each track. Of course, there is variety on the album, but I’d be interested to see Peters push himself further in the future. Perhaps he could find a drummer to provide support for his screeching, electrifying guitar solos and chord progressions. After a few more months of playing, who knows what kind of a musician he’ll be?

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