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Dec 06, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

Tomorrow, Brooklyn-based producer and singer/songwriter Chris Kage is set to debut with his first full-length project, Cycles. Kage has already spent prior years as a songwriter and backing musician for artists like Lukas and Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Wax Owls. However, Cycles sees him stepping out as a solo artist, crafting shadowy alt pop and drawing on themes of identity and rebirth. This year, Kage has already shared a pair of new singles, “Leave The Light On” and “We Stand Free,” and ahead of the release, he’s sharing an early listen to one of the album’s new tracks, “Up From The Shadows,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Up From The Shadows” works in contrasts, offering both moments of icy intimacy and triumphant melodicism. The track begins immersed in meditative piano chords, but Kage quickly fills out the track with dramatic swells of instrumentation and slick alt pop production. The results strike a careful balance between moody confessions and moments of hopeful uplift. Lyrically, the track meditates on Kage’s own struggles with his mental health, acting both as a document of his lowest moments and a chronicle of reinvention. In his mid-twenties, Kage was diagnosed with bipolar disorder following a severe mental health crisis. Yet, as he describes, that diagnosis also provided the opportunity to forge a new identity. He sings, “Would you cover your eyes / When the morning comes? / Would you cover your eyes / And block out the sun from shining? / Pull me up / Up from the shadows.”

Kage says of the track, “‘Up From The Shadows,’ inspired by my journey through manic psychosis, captures the unraveling of identity and the profound realization that life is a self-created tapestry. In losing myself, I found the power to constantly reinvent. We all face moments that challenge who we are, yet within this darkness lies an opportunity for rebirth. This song invites you to confront the universal truth of self-creation, finding beauty in the endless possibilities of each moment. Embrace the journey, and let the music lift you up to a new light.”

Check out the song and video below. Kage’s debut album, Cycles, is out tomorrow, December 8th.