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Detroit-based producer Nydge<\/a>, born Nigel Van Hemmye, releases his first solo EP, <\/span>Datsun Turbo<\/a>, <\/span><\/i>today. While Van Hemmye has spent the last year building an impressive catalog of pop anthems featuring other vocalists, this is his first foray as a solo artist. The EP is centered around Van Hemmye\u2019s experience with severe anxiety and how it manifests itself in different aspects of his life. Although the subject matter is dense, his upbeat electric compositions could easily serve as the soundtrack to a VR race car simulation or modern-day <\/span>Back to the Future <\/span><\/i>remake. <\/span><\/p>\n

Van Hymme says the opening track, \u201cImmortal Youth,\u201d is a nostalgic rumination on what life was like before he started having anxiety attacks. It opens with glockenspiel-like synths that recall the innocence of childhood. The lyrics follow suit, reflecting on happier times when debilitating worry didn\u2019t exist. \u201cImmortal youth \/ we have endless days \/ to find a happy place \/ it all comes in waves,\u201d sings Van Hymme. <\/span><\/p>\n

Datsun Turbo <\/span><\/i>also touches on how anxiety can affect romantic relationships. Van Hymme says \u201cCome Over\u201d is about \u201c<\/span>the fear of never being able to commit or forgive myself due to my fatalistic inner narrative.\u201d Arguably the EP\u2019s catchiest track, the song tells the story of a yo-yo romance, where both characters keep coming back to a relationship that should be over– a theme that even people who don\u2019t suffer from anxiety can relate to. <\/span><\/p>\n

Van Hemmye\u2019s also released a video along with the EP that attempts to explain his experience with anxiety further. In the short film, he details his first panic attack: \u201cMy heart was racing, and my walls of reality were melting.\u201d The video goes on to give a chillingly accurate visual representation of what it\u2019s like to have an anxiety or panic disorder, melding visions of clarity and beauty with unsettling disorientation. Van Hemmye explains that he started turning to long drives as a coping mechanism for his racing mind and heart. \u201cI think driving has always soothed me because it occupies just enough of my anxious mind to not allow for excessive worrying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n