Manic Focus Documents Stages of Bipolar 1 on New Album ‘Never Not Blue’

Manic Focus’s new album conveys what a manic episode feels like through a personal journey.

Denver-based producer Manic Focus’s new album ‘Never Not Blue’ takes the listener through multiple stages of his manic episodes. After being diagnosed with Bipolar 1 in 2007, he takes his manic and depressive episodes and makes art out of the chaos. Manic Focus explains that “this album is very special to me. It will take you on a journey through many of the emotions I experience in a manic episode – from the confidence, through the chaos, to the euphoric states, but ultimately ending on a positive note.”

Manic Focus’s style, described as a hybrid of electronic, funk, soul, and hip-hop, has helped broaden his fanbase through a diverse selection. ‘Never Not Blue’ is the seventh studio album from the artist, showcasing the vast growth and same blues-infected electronic style of his earlier works. 

By taking what he’s good at and incorporating a new approach to genre, songwriting, and composition, this new album is a way Manic Focus can show how he can evolve with an evolving industry. Through the manic episode-inspired songs, each track is heavy, and chaotic, and can make the listeners dance.

Manic Focus wrote interlude tracks that represent various stages of a manic episode – “Acute Mania,” “Delirious Mania,” and “Healing Stage.” These tracks give context to the thematic content and provide a cohesive thread across the tracklist. It helps the listener understand a small glimpse into what it’s like to experience Bipolar 1. 

With each song transitioning into the next, listeners can experience what this mania feels like. The LP begins with “Synchronization,” which describes the diagnosis over string arrangements before it drops into a dubstep breakdown. The album continues with emotional bass tracks like “Blamma”. And the album ends with “Desynchronization”, which brings the album full circle into how the episodes would end.

Through fast-paced bass synth riffs, trap-infused future bass tracks, and electro-swing synth melodies, fans can expect an eccentric tour from the artist. Manic Focus will also be making stops at the Red Rocks and Summer Camp Musical Festival on tour. 

Joey Bouzek

Hey there my name is Joey and I am an entertainment journalist based in Virginia. I went to James Madison University for Journalism and Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communications. Some of my favorite musicians are Grimes, Arca, Kero Kero Bonito, Slayyyter, and Sky Ferreira. My goal as a writer is to help inform the reader to understand news that is up-to-date and precise, that way the reader can stay properly informed and entertained with the information that is presented. Writing stories is something I have always been passionate about and would love to spread information about events, festivals, new music, and artists in an engaging and thrilling way.

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