Garrett Clark Borns, or better known by his stage name Børns, is slowly taking listeners to a vintage era. An American singer and songwriter, Børns never forgets to include a touch of vintage in every song. Born and raised in Michigan, Børns grew up listening to classic old-school hits such as Fleetwood Mac and Motown. His love for music has grown immensely and has taken him to Interscope Records, one of the biggest music industries in the country. This also led him to release various songs as well as one complete album with eleven songs (released Oct. 16, 2015). “I think it’s (the music) influenced by a lot of different eras in music,” Børns said in an interview with Westword magazine.
“Blue Madonna,” released Jan. 12, 2018, is Borns’ second complete album featuring 12 songs. Even though it was written and sung (mainly) by the same person as “Dopamine”, the tracks and their melodies give this album a similar sound, but a very different message. While “Dopamine” is mainly about youthful love and fantasies, “Blue Madonna” brings heartbreak and rebellion to the table.
The first track, “God Save Our Young Blood” starts out with his famous synthesizers and a steady bass, and is a smooth transition from his previous album into “Blue Madonna”. Accompanied by Lana Del Rey, this hazy tune is still full of the excitement and euphoria found in the previous album.
However, going down the list of tracks, the mood definitely shifts with “We Don’t Care,” a song with grungy vibes but a very sixties-inspired beat. Even though the song begins with a bright melody, it transitions into a heavy mix of guitar, bass and mostly, drums. “I’ve got a case the haunting, I got a taste of the madman in my mind, I used to sleep at night, moving like everyone’s watching,” sings Borns. With dark and rebellious overtones, this song changes the mood of the track while still maintaining a great beat throughout.
The album ends with “Bye-bye Darling,” symbolizing the end of what could be. Starting out with a keyboard melody and steady drums, the singer reminisces about a lost relationship. “We had a good one darling and don’t you cry, now in the end it’s gonna be just fine, in the end oh it feels like a dream, someday we’ll find out what it means,” Borns sings.
Now that the much-awaited album has been released, the singer-songwriter is currently touring internationally. Although he has not yet hinted about another album, we can definitely expect a junior album in the future. But for now, it looks like Borns has found a more unique style, which can keep fans entertained… for the time being.
