BAYEM — AFTERGLOW EP

In early 2022, Absorb. label artist BAYEM issued his exhilarating and ambitious new 8-song EP, AFTERGLOW. The project included four previously released singles with four incredible new tracks, culminating in a remarkably strong and diverse collection of melodic soulwave anthems.

The theme of AFTERGLOW is derived from BAYEM’s lyrical narratives dealing with the aura of post-relationship existence, the soul-searching and enlightening period between heartbreak and acceptance. Thus, we needed to make sure that the accompanying visuals bore surreal - yet beautiful - narrative energy.

For campaign photographs, we worked with the wonderful Lissyelle Larricchia (Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae) to capture colorful, contrasting and glitched images that capture the broken elegance contained in the songs. Music video and conceptual footage for the single “Runnin” was filmed in California's Joshua Tree National Park, utilizing the terrain’s most “otherworldly” natural rock formations to create the feeling of BAYEM wandering through a lonely, uninhabited planet.

A custom font was created for BAYEM’s logo, and animated “dead star” icons were developed as galvanizing contributors to AFTERGLOW’s visceral tone.

An incredible team was assembled to create the music of AFTERGLOW, including collaborative production and mix work from Micah Tawlks (COIN, Hayley Williams), Geoff Swan (Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX), Michael Watson (fanclubwallet, Chemical Club), and Absorb.’s own Owen Thomas.

AFTERGLOW was released to acclaim and has already achieved nearly 1 million cumulative streams. It is available now via all services.

DISCIPLINES:

CREATIVE DIRECTION

MUSIC PRODUCTION

FILM

DESIGN

TYPOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY

YEAR:

2022

PRODUCED AND WRITTEN BY:

BAYEM, OWEN THOMAS.

MIXED BY: GEOFF SWAN.

MASTERED BY: ADAM GROVER AT STERLING SOUND.

CREATIVE / FILM DIRECTION: OWEN THOMAS.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LISSYELLE LARRICCHIA AND OWEN THOMAS.
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: BRIANNA ARAGON

DESIGN: SAM KAUFMAN.

FILM DIRECTION: OWEN THOMAS.

PROD / POST: ABSORB.

LABEL: ABSORB.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: JARED SPARKMAN.