3 Feet High & Rising: Eric Reid (A Prince) Unveils IMPOSE-debuted EP Single, "I Need You Closer" (Formerly "Hedgehogs Dilemma") [Soundcloud, self-released]
"This song was pretty therapeutic in helping me come to term with a failing relationship. It failed not because we didn't work at it, but maybe because we worked too hard at it and it became this thing that we both started resenting on some level. By the end, we were kind of like two mismatching puzzle pieces that had been shoved together... It's hard a hard spot to be in and I've had lots of friends that have been in this same place in relationships. It wasn't a horrible relationship either and I think that's what makes it harder, when its good like 50-60% of the time, but is that a way to live? ["I Need You Closer"] kind of helped me just face it in a very literal sense. This was also the fastest song on the album to write, I think I started recording it at like 11am one day and by 9pm, it was done. I remember texting my friend being like, "you have to come sing some group vocals on this song with me RIGHT NOW, before the urgency expires!" It was great [and] it was also great getting drunk with him and adding extra claps and drunken harmonies, it kind of suited the vibe."
- Eric Reid (A Prince), via emailed statement
Toronto, Canada-based multi-instrumentalist and record producer Eric Reid (A Prince) attests he takes his parenthetical name from filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. as a homage "stated as an influence for his do-whatever-the-f*ck-you-want, on no budget, the way you want to do it work ethic." While Reid's debut single, "I Need You Closer," which was very recently premiered over at IMPOSE, is self-labeled on Soundcloud as "Indie Rock," "chilled out," "break-up," "Indie," and "Acoustic," it's Related Tracks, oddly enough, include John Legend's "All of Me," Calvin Harris' "Summer" (Extended), and The Weeknd's February 2014 Remix of Ty Dolla $ign's chart-topper "Or Nah." ""I Need You Closer" is built around a Roland TR-808 drum machine basic toe-tapping beat. The sound originally sounded fake and lame, so I recorded it to tape and then, mic'ed the tape deck and recorded it back into the song and now, it sounds fake and cheesy, but in a good way," Eric Reid (A Prince) further detailed within a press release. "I Need You Closer" is the first single lifted from Reid's upcoming self-titled debut EP, which will be released October 21st and is currently available for pre-order on iTunes and across like-minded digital platforms. "This song was originally going to be called "Hedgehogs [Dilemma]," which from Wikipedia: is a metaphor about the challenges of human intimacy. It describes a situation in which a group of hedgehogs all seek to become close to one another in order to share heat during cold weather. However, they cannot avoid hurting one another with their sharp spines. Though they all share the intention of a close reciprocal relationship, this may not occur, for reasons they cannot avoid. I changed the name because I think "Hedgehogs [Dilemma]" sounds like the name of a song nobody would really want to listen to. Anyway, it sums up most of my relationships, but that is something I'll figure out eventually..."