Alex Fleming, known as Black Atlass, is a Montreal native who first started creating music when he was still in high school at 17. Alex has been rolling his way through the music and fashion industry ever since.
Focusing on shadowy, tension-filled, alternative R&B, Alex has gained thousands of fans over the past seven years. He even had The Weeknd sign Black Atlass to XO records for his single “My Life” in 2018, making him a part of the R&B scene.
What stands out about Black Atlass is that Prince inspired him to think that fashion is just as important as music. He feels that art and vision are his life. How a person looks on stage can draw or lose an audience’s attention more than one may think.
Black Atlass most recent single, “Lie To Me” released on Friday, Feb. 14.
“Just give me time”
“You know I can be brave”
Releasing on Valentine’s Day, “Lie To Me” is about how Black Atlass wants his lover to do anything to keep or improve a relationship when it goes downhill. These feelings are particularly relatable for lonelier people who may feel desperate for lovable companionship on Valentine’s Day.
The music video is a lyric based with red roses in every scene. There was impressive photography in the video. It includes a variety of angles and halfway through the song there is a shallow depth of field image of two flowers.
According to IEYENews, red roses express one’s feelings that they are the only one for their partner and enrich the relationship to the maximum. Red roses mean romance and true love. The red roses say it all and fit the song’s theme.
This slow tempo piece starts off rock-like with an 11-second guitar solo. The start sounds similar to the opening of The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” only much slower with some higher-pitched guitar notes.
Alex’s voice is quite high and articulate, similar to a toned-down version of The Weeknd.
The chorus, dominated by a guitar, is slightly repetitive with Alex saying “Lie To Me” many times, but many songs have similar types of choruses. He repeats likely because he wants to make sure he gets his message across to his lover. The song closes with a guitar solo, and eventually, piano notes accompanying the last 27 seconds of the piece with eventual “Lie To Me’s” again.
Although this song may not be particularly upbeat and get people in the mood to dance, for an emotional topic such as relationship problems, the slower tempo fits the mood of the song.
Other noteworthy pieces Black Atlass has released are “Paris”, “Blossom”, “Fantasy”, “Blonde”, “Pain And Pleasure”, and “Shadows”.