Tomasz Guiddo w/ Rexy & Grzegorz Bojanek

CAT #: BIS044
July 24, 2020

Guiddo returns to Beats in Space with Polish producer Grzegorz Bojanek and the elusive, iconic Rexy to conjure a tune that tunnels between decades, bringing the soft edges of English New Wave to the layered lucidity of modern pop for Narcissist.

The titular track’s bounce of low tones juxtaposes beautifully with Rex Nayman’s soprano croon until she downshifts into a dagger of spoken word that strikes at pretenders and egomaniacs alike. Guiddo orchestrates dub-wise sounds from strings to synths that bring the composition to high(er) ground, weaving Bojanek’s flourishes of plucked guitar through the mix for a welcome velvet staccato. “Narcissist” glimmers under a summer sun (even when gleaned from cool interiors) to gesture a shrug or a finger-flip at those egocentrics in charge.

Nayman and her bandmate Vic Martin crafted one record as Rexy in 1981, the cult classic Running Out of Time, that appeared like a comet in the London scene and earned the duo scores of admirers for its acidly ironic lyricism that described a city rotting with megalomania and disenchantment. The duo went their separate ways soon after recording the album, but Running Out of Time left an indelible imprint on the musical universe. In their first record in nearly 30 years, Rexy brings that same unsparing gaze to the modern sociopaths that creep through the world’s bars, clubs, and bedrooms. Nayman’s choral arrows have found a 21st century target: “Who’s your next victim? / Now that I’ve got away / Who are you gonna trample? / When they get in your way.”

Narcissist follows Guiddo’s 12” with Georges Perin, Gin ‘n Tears, released on Beats In Space in 2014. A collaborative force unto himself, Guiddo shines brightest at the controls, creating a new pop classic across time and (literal) space with Bojanek and Rexy.