"Is this postpunk hip hop?
We hope so...
Fry may even be
creating new genres."
- Layla Merino, YourEDM.com
"Out there with his weirdness
in the best possible way."
- Global Dance Electronic
"Fry’s deep tenor imbues lyrics with ominous flavors, giving an eerie, radioactive flow..."
- Randall Radic, Tattoo.com
"Like Leonard Cohen
on a DMT vision quest."
-The Austin Chronicle
Retrellion: the nerdy stuff
Retrellion is a dual impulse toward retreat and rebellion, especially during times of social upheaval. As when, for example, someone under quarantine is compelled to protest politically. Informed by sociologist Robert Merton's "strain" theory, which was in turn an elaboration of Emile Durkheim's fundamental sociological theory of 'anomie' (Durkheim's word for social upheaval). Merton proposed five possible responses to anomie: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreat, and rebellion.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided prime conditions for retrellion; many Americans felt compelled to retreat to the relative safety of quarantine, while also feeling the need to speak out politically about events such as the killing of George Floyd, the Trump presidency, and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Example sentences using retrellion:
"Because it wasn't safe to be out in the street, my retrellion took the form of sassy embroidery, ranting Facebook posts, and angry emails to Mitch McConnell."
"Retrellion didn't slow me down. I retreated only long enough to put on a gas mask and then I was out in the street protesting again."
"I was so caught up in a state of retrellion I wrote a bedroom synth pop record about it."
-DJF
Devin James Fry is a musician and producer in Denver, CO. He is vocalist and songwriter for the art rock band Name Sayers, and formerly led the psychedelic Americana outfit Salesman.
Fry is also owner and operator of The Sharpist, a surgical sharpening firm.
A synth-heavy solo album titled RETRELLION will be released April 11, 2023.
Previously, in 2020, several years of collaboration with Palestinian oud master Sari Andoni yielded RADICANS, a mingling of Arab and American psychedelic and folk music influences.