DYVR shares electro-pop ballad ‘Holding Back’, featuring Benjamin Yellowitz

London-born, Belfast-based artist DYVR has released their brand new single, 'Holding Back' - taken from forthcoming EP 'Part 3'.

The queer artist has joined forces with Birmingham solo producer and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Yellowitz for the mesmeric number, which explores DYVR's path to accepting their LGBTQ+ identity.

There's an intensity present in DYVR's haunting falsetto vocals, despite often using beats and synths to pull the listener into an electronic world of escape. Their brutally honest style of storytelling is filling a much-needed gap in the music scene, devoting themselves to diaristic words and a reverie of impactful soundscapes.

“'Holding Back' is a song about the masks we wear in order to feel like we’re part of the world,” says DYVR.

“Before I began my journey into self-acceptance, I was performing a role; going through the motions of what I had been taught was the natural order of things," DYVR adds.

"As queer people, we aren’t educated about the possibilities of what our identities could be, so we can only choose to try and fit as much of ourselves into the limited space we are given. I wrote ‘Holding Back’ as a way of asking the question, ‘should real love hold me back?’ This song is about dropping the mask, and learning to love who you truly are. This is a journey I’m still on, but one that empowers me more every day.”

DYVR uses dark, pop-inflected electronica to explore their multifaceted queer identity. Their music is sonically seductive and challenges our preconceived notions of gender and sexuality.

DYVR’s presence in Ireland has been going from strength to strength since moving to Belfast at the beginning of 2020 to be closer to their Dublin-based label, VETA Music.

They took part of the official virtual St. Patrick’s Festival earlier this month, and were selected to showcase at Ireland Music Week 2020. Comparisons have been drawn with the likes of Blood Orange, James Vincent McMorrow, Villagers, SOHN and James Blake.

Listen to the subtly anthemic 'Holding Back' below: