A frenetic guitar chord echoes bright, followed by a chirping melodic synth line, heavy bass riff and monolithic drum beat. A man tumbles through a wormhole into an endless void and the sonic atmosphere is gritty and dark. You're now in the realm of the Montreal-based, Derek Orsi, specifically in the orbit of his latest single "The Day He Fell Off The Face Of The World." 

 

"This is a song about escaping the material world and diving into the ethereal world. It's about a person's disinterest in the prison we live in on Earth and looking to move beyond its limited physical construct through love and awareness," Orsi says. 

 

As the man is surrounded by trees with "branches like mechanical arms," the song picks up the pace and explodes into an adrenaline-fuelled chorus reminiscent of something found on an early Smashing Pumpkins record.

 

But Orsi's orchestration—adding in a wah-wah guitar lead, dulcet vocal harmonies, and wails of anger gives the song a prolific edge. 

 

"The Day He Fell Off The Face Of The World," is a track that will make you nostalgic for the sounds of early grunge and a cosmic reinvention of modern alt-rock. 

 

Orsi wrote the track during a period of his life when he was constantly alone, somewhat of an outsider. He’d wake up late in the afternoon and head to his studio to write, produce and record music deep into the night. 

 

"When the sun peaked its head above the horizon, I'd jump on a bus and go home. Those were the best bus rides," he says. "I'd be on my way home to catch some zzz's while the rest of my commuting peers were heading off to work, getting ready to spend their day as monkeys on a carousel. I always felt like I was in on some kind of secret."

 

"The Day He Fell Off The Face Of The World," is track 10 on Orsi's upcoming full-length "Fallen Angels", a concept album that feels like the soundtrack to a wicked short film. 

 

"It's a classic post-modern story in that the protagonist challenges the social and political conventions that have been set in place by 'the system,'" Orsi says. 

 

The main character feels alienated, somewhat purposefully, going on a journey of spiritual awakening and discovering a grim truth. 

 

"This story is what the opera crowd likes to call a tragedy."

 

"Fallen Angels," out June 7, was conceived as a studio project between Orsiʼs gigs as a producer, and quickly materialized into a powerful living organism. 

 

"My experiences, the world I see before me and pure fiction all inspire my writing," Orsi says. "Some of the lyrics are autobiographical but even when they are I make sure Iʼm writing with a universal perspective."