Emerging from the tranquil surroundings of Strathmore, Canada, Artificial Incline is an artist whose music doesn’t merely echo through headphones, it resonates through the heart. With a sound rooted in raw emotion and an artistic identity forged through years of growth and introspection, Artificial Incline is not just another name in the music scene; they are a storyteller, a curator of human experience, and a testament to what it means to create from the soul. The journey of Artificial Incline began long before studio lights and mixing consoles. At just 15 years old, they began penning lyrics as a way to process the world, specifically the formative intensity of first love, the heartbreak of losing friends and family, and the quiet resilience required to move forward.
These lyrics, deeply personal and quietly powerful, would sit patiently like seeds waiting to bloom. It wasn’t until years later, with a matured understanding of life and emotion, that those early words were revisited and transformed into something timeless. For Artificial Incline, the essence of music lies in storytelling, and not just any story, but one born from lived moments and real emotion. They are a unique fusion of heart and technology, blending the organic weight of human experience with modern production techniques to create something both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Their work is a reflection of perseverance, patience, and authenticity, guided by a core belief: Good things take time.
On March 31st, 2025, Artificial Incline officially unveiled their soul-stirring original single, Sound of Thunder. This powerful track marks a pivotal chapter in their artistic evolution, an emotional landscape where love, loss, and hope are painted in sweeping sonic strokes. At its heart, Sound of Thunder is a deeply human meditation on memory and resilience, born from real-life experiences and shaped by years of emotional maturation. Originally written in the artist’s youth and refined over time, the song encapsulates a personal yet universal journey, mourning the people we’ve lost, cherishing the ones we once held close, and learning how to keep walking forward without them. This track is not just music, it is the convergence of emotion and technology, of lyrical honesty and immersive sound design. It’s a gentle storm that arrives not to destroy, but to cleanse, to heal, to remind.
From the very first few seconds of Artificial Incline’s Sound of Thunder, the listener is ushered into a world that feels suspended in time, a soundscape as emotive and serene as the movement of still waters. The opening is not just calm; it’s poetic, meditative, reminiscent of a setting sun dipping below the horizon or cherry blossoms unfurling in slow motion. It is in these tender moments that a soulful, restrained stringed melody takes center stage, gracefully unfurling like a painter’s first stroke on an untouched canvas. This elegant introduction isn’t just background ambiance; it sets the emotional temperature of the entire song, creating an atmosphere that’s rich with anticipation. It invites you to pause, to breathe, to settle into the emotional journey ahead. It is here that Artificial Incline’s voice first enters, soft, astral, almost celestial. There’s a palpable sense of stillness, like the calm before a storm, and in that moment, it feels as though the world outside the music has faded away, leaving only you and the sound.
There’s something undeniably paradisical about how Artificial Incline’s voice melds with the gentle string arrangement. The vocals aren’t just sung, they seem to float, to melt into the instrumental in a way that feels almost otherworldly. It’s the kind of voice that doesn’t just sing to you; it wraps itself around your consciousness, sinking deep into your emotional core. You can feel the vulnerability in every note, every breath. There is an honesty in the delivery that disarms you, it tells you that you’re not just listening to a song; you’re stepping into a deeply intimate sonic journal. The resonance of his voice, combined with the delicacy of the strings, creates a feeling of total surrender, a surrender to the music, to the feelings it evokes, and to the lyrical journey that’s unfolding. This vocal performance doesn’t ask for your attention; it commands it, effortlessly capturing your heart with its raw, unfiltered emotion.
As the song begins to unfold, it does so with exquisite grace. The melody gradually expands, not abruptly, but with the tenderness of a flower blooming in the golden hour. The swelling orchestration introduces warm piano progressions, glistening synth textures, and experimental sonic layers that move like silk across the atmosphere. A steady pulse kicks in, anchoring the song’s emotional swell with grounding rhythm, and this subtle but crucial shift in dynamics pulls the listener further into the narrative. The layers grow more complex without losing their elegance, and every new element that enters the mix serves only to deepen the listener’s immersion in the experience. The pacing is deliberate and slow, allowing the song to breathe and evolve organically. And just like that, the track begins to lift you gently off the ground, carrying you somewhere beautiful and boundless. The emotions evolve, grow richer, more nuanced, and the voice of Artificial Incline rises with it, echoing depth and fragility in perfect harmony.
By the time the song hits its stride, it finds a soulful pocket, a seamless blend of R&B-influenced groove and contemporary pop soul. But it’s not just the genres it borrows from; it’s the way it melds groove with feeling, movement with meaning. The drum patterns inject life and energy into the piece, not overwhelming, but bright enough to animate the dreamlike quality of the sound. There is something hypnotic about this section, catchy, yes, but also ethereal. It’s as if the song takes on a life of its own, effortlessly blending emotional weight with rhythmic drive. The textures are beautifully layered, piano flourishes, swelling strings, shimmering synths, all harmonizing with the bass and drums to create a soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate. The song is simultaneously grounded and otherworldly, a combination that is at once mesmerizing and emotionally stirring. The infectious groove only enhances the song’s enchanting nature, making it irresistible while still keeping its heart intact.
What’s truly remarkable is the dynamic progression. The song doesn’t just stay in one place, it breathes, shifts, and undulates like ocean tides. There are subtle rises and gentle falls, moments of quiet introspection and crescendos of sonic beauty. Each transition is delicately placed, enhancing the song’s magical consistency. The movements are smooth but deliberate, as if each shift in the musical landscape is guiding the listener to a new emotional destination. And yet, despite these undulations, the core essence of the song remains intact. The beauty lies not in the song’s ability to surprise, but in its ability to keep the listener’s attention effortlessly, with every single note serving a purpose in the overall narrative. There’s a sense of effortless cohesion, like the waves of the ocean, each moment flows naturally into the next, with a sense of inevitability. The song feels timeless, and the organic flow of its progression only heightens that sense of eternal beauty.
In the end, Sound of Thunder is a transportive experience. It’s not just a song, it’s an emotional landscape, a crafted world where vulnerability meets beauty, where soulful melodies coalesce with modern production to create something that feels truly timeless. The performance, the production, the textures, the emotional resonance, they all come together to birth a song that doesn’t just play, but glows. It’s a piece of art that invites you in, holds you close, and never lets go. From the opening stringed melody to the final, soaring crescendo, it is an experience that resonates long after the song has ended. The music doesn’t just fade out; it lingers in your heart and mind, a perfect representation of the raw, unfiltered beauty that Artificial Incline has crafted. It’s a musical paradise, true beauty, indeed.
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Listen to Sound of Thunder by Artificial Incline and many more on our Pop/Commercial Playlist.
