Feb 22, 20212 min read

Shane Dylan Enlists Naledi Masilo and SeeFour to Take Boston by Storm

by Mike Scarfo

Multi-talented composer and producer Shane Dylan is generally known around Boston’s indie music scene for his slick keyboard grooves and live instrumental sets. However, Shane has steadily built momentum for a thunderous full-length collaborative album set to release later this year, featuring some of Boston’s most talented artists. He previously released “The Camera Fades to Black” with Evan Wright and Marquis Filthy in 2019, followed by the smooth and jazzy “Last Week” featuring Kofi Lost in late 2020, both serving as lead singles to the upcoming project.

Now in 2021, Shane returns with his most dynamic single yet titled “Storm”, as he links up with rapper SeeFour and jazz vocalist Naledi Masilo. SeeFour delivers lead vocals, capturing the “gruesome scene” of a person’s life filled with vices of materialism and societal pressures; his lyricism is a vivid portrayal of all-consuming gloom:

“Shot at with Triple beams, fear is the newest fad / You getting too attached, about to go catch a bag / Hard knock life kid, heard you was living fast / And then it starts to get bad when cousin and granny passed / Smaller is getting better, better is feeling wack / The devil is on your back with evil and pity laughs”.

SeeFour furthers the narrative by addressing our tendency to draw comparisons to others through social media, claiming “being social ain’t the norm, people pay [him] to perform”. His message connects with the idea that our insecurities are heightened by constant exposure to digital interpretations of fame and success. Lyrically, “Storm” reflects the resiliency of overcoming these insecurities, while the orchestration juxtaposes an illustratively dark, stormy aesthetic. SeeFour’s passionate, often drawn-out vocals are the perfect melodic pairing with Shane’s synth-sounding key progressions on the bridge.

Naledi Masilo’s lush vocals on the hook contrast beautifully over an eclectic ensemble that features colorful keys from Shane, and a melancholy brass section led by Tim Hall, Miles Keingstein, & Matt Estabrook. JP Heston adds smooth bass chords along with energetic percussion from Romarna Campbell, providing depth and fullness to the production palette. Shane ends with an emphatic keyboard solo, ultimately intensifying the mood of the track to a climactic ending. Every instrumental element on “Storm” blends harmoniously on top of subtle rain and thunder samples, creating a cinematically profound sonic experience.