Album Review - Patrick Tabaks - ‘Lost My Mind’
REVIEW BY: SARAH BONNET
ARTICLE BY: MONIKA SMITH
Patrick Tabaks is only 17 years old but his debut album ‘Lost My Mind’ showcases an extensive musical knowledge and a set of skills that few musicians have. The record has an overall pop sensibility but each song hides varied influences, from jazz and flamenco to rock (and more… ).
This striking diversity makes sense when you learn a bit more about Patrick’s musical background. His interest in music started developing at 6 years old, when his sister decided to teach him piano. After some more formal musical training, he was performing in professional opera productions at only 11 years old. With so much talent, it’s no surprise that the multi-instrumentalist’s debut album caught our attention here in Australia, all the way from Latvia.
Overall, the album is versatile both musically (we now know why) and lyrically. Tabaks explained that the album was about “all that’s been growing inside of him all his life”. It displays a wide range of emotions: fear, romance, loss... The 9 songs are a compilation of everything he’s experienced so far and trying to get some sense out of these experiences.
In contrast with this eclectic album, the first song “ Lost My Mind” is very simple, one-dimensional and that’s why it is the perfect opening track. The song sounds like Patrick is introducing himself to us before we dive into his feelings. His vocals sound honest and focused, like we’re meeting him for the first time.
The song “ Lost My Mind” consists of smooth vocals accompanied by a simple but pleasant repetition of the same guitar chords. A few layers of backing vocals and percussions come in and out as the song progresses, giving the song a bit more depth. After the second verse, the track also includes a feature from Elizabeth Luka. Her soothing voice and Patrick’s complement each other flawlessly, Tabaks’ years of experience with opera and duetting with other talented singers being an obvious advantage.
Altogether, the song is captivating despite its simplicity. Its mention of emotions and mental questioning foreshadows the rest of the album and how we are about to dive deep into Patrick’s feelings (some examples are the lyrics “Why is it complicated?”, “Tell me what’s on your mind”, the album title “I lost my mind” etc…). The rest of the album is an exciting mix of emotional ballads and more upbeat songs which, as I mentioned before, blends together a wide range of musical influences
Lost My Mind
Patrick Tabaks released his debut album "Lost My Mind" September 2021. The album includes a variety of pop-based songs that have slight hints of different genres like rock, jazz, lo-fi and R&B. As the first song of the album "From Time To Time" came out on August 6th, it will soon be followed by the albums' second song "Are You Even Real". The album "Lost My Mind" has been written and recorded throughout 2020
Patrick Tabaks was busy readying his debut album Lost My Mind for release in September. The 17-year-old singer-songwriter spent much of 2020 writing and recording the nine-song collection in studios in the U.K., Sweden, Canada, the United States as well as his native Latvia.
Lyrically, Lost My Mind finds the singer contemplating existential questions and exploring his own emotional psyche. “The album is really about what has been growing inside of me all my life,” Patrick explains. “It’s about what I’ve grown up to experience or what I’ve wondered about. So, a lot of the songs are kind of about, I wouldn’t like to say philosophical questions, but questions you don’t really want to think about daily. But those questions stay in your head. And the other half of the album is the romantic half. It’s about my emotions.”
The album’s first single “From Time to Time,” was inspired by the bittersweet nature of grief. “[It’s] a song about the people you’ve lost in your life. The song is about my grandma and my grandpa. I really didn’t get to spend that much time with them [growing up]. Now that I think back, I wish I could’ve spent more time with them. It’s a song that gives you the feeling of loss but at the same time the feeling of happiness that you had when you spent all those moments with those people.”
Another single, “Are You Even Real,” marks a left turn both sonically and in content. “[It’s] a little bit of an outlier,” Patrick says. “The music itself is a bit different than the rest of the songs. But I thought it was an interesting song with an interesting concept... “Are You Even Real” is [about] my fear of what happens after death. I just think that talking about your fears is just as important as talking about the rest of your emotions.”
While Lost My Mind has an undeniable pop sensibility, its influences range from jazz and flamenco to lo-fi rock. Such versatility is unsurprising for an artist who’s been a musician almost as long as he’s been alive.
“I started doing music when I was six years old,” Patrick says. “I remember my sister teaching me how to sing at our home piano. And I really started to enjoy it a lot. And when I was seven years old I started going to a music school where I got my inspiration from working with these teachers. All these people who were also into music...it gave [me] a sense of what it is to be a musician and what joy you can get out of it. I think that’s really where my inspiration came from.”
Under the tutelage of his teacher Valda Tracuma, Patrick began singing opera at the age of 11, performing at the Latvian National Opera and becoming known as “the boy with the golden voice.” Over the next four years, he performed duets with famous opera singers such as Sonora Vaice and Elina Shimkus and performed in productions of different operas both in Latvia and abroad.
Even with his own album complete, Patrick has no plans to slow down. He is currently cowriting and co- producing new songs with singer Elizabeth Luka, as well as collaborating with producer Tim Lars on an electronic pop single called “Countryside” that will be released on October 15th. He has also started rehearsals for the leading role in a new musical written by Janis Lusens that will debut in November. Patrick was also a part of the cast of musical Rent when the production resumed at August 2021.
About
Hailing from Latvia, 17-year-old Patrick Tabaks has been immersed in music for much of his life. At age six, Patrick began learning piano courtesy of his sister, before a more formal, classical music education helped him hone his skills as a vocalist. Under the tutelage of his teacher Valda Tracuma, he began performing at the Latvian National Opera at the age of 11, becoming known as “the boy with the golden voice.” This reputation led to duets with famous opera singers and performances in many opera productions, including Carmen and Tannhauser. Before long he had also added guitar and violin to his skill set.
All of these early musical experiences have come in handy as Patrick launches his solo career with his debut album Lost My Mind. Slated for a September release, Patrick produced, co-produced and wrote all nine of the album’s songs, which explore subjects such as grief and question the existence of the afterlife.
“And lot of the times I feel like people just don’t quite get me,” Patrick explains. “I can express myself better with music than with words or talking to other people.”
Lost My Mind’s first single “From Time to Time” was released on August 6.
