Boslen unveils the official video for “LEVELS” — the unrelenting first single from his forthcoming project, GONZO, due later this year. The cinematic music video directed by Talha Pervaiz and executive produced by Natasha Dion combines surreal scenes with a defiant performance.
The “LEVELS” video opens with eerie footage of a dining table and includes cutscenes of a mad surgeon and a herd of sheep—referenced in the song to represent “people that pretend to be something that they will never be.” The soul-shaking beat drop plummets listeners into Boslen’s blunt stream of chaotic consciousness. Through a metallic grill, he wonders aloud why anyone would doubt him and issues a stern warning: “I can never be controlled.”
“When I wrote ‘LEVELS,’ I wanted to challenge myself by breaking the fourth wall and showcasing how the highs and lows of moving in this industry can affect an artist,” says Boslen. “I wanted listeners to hear a new side of my tonality. I feel like I poured in more emotion than I ever have before. ‘LEVELS’ really sets the tone for GONZO, and I can’t wait for my fans to hear the full project.”
“LEVELS” wastes no time building the momentum Boslen created with the immersive 12-track DUSK to DAWN, which eclipsed over 17 million streams globally and earned acclaim from various tastemakers. Atwood Magazine, hailed the concept album as “the kind of record that needs to be felt in full in order to be understood at its core.” EUPHORIA., said “Despite its easy listening, (DUSK to DAWN) is full of emotion and artistry.” HotNewHipHop praised Boslen’s lyricism stating that he places “his unique storytelling abilities on display with introspective and imaginative tracks.” With “LEVELS,” Boslen has only begun to unload what he has stored in his multifaceted artistic arsenal.
Boslen is a born trailblazer. The 23-year-old hip-hop experimenter lives in Vancouver, and the city’s people have become key to the way he understands himself and his art. A land of contrasts — snowy peaks and warm water, beautiful nature, and busy streets — it’s the perfect home for an artist who reconciles disparate energies, weaving together styles and sounds that don’t intuitively connect. DUSK to DAWN, his Capitol Records debut, furthers this adventurous approach, mixing trap, pop, punk, and rock melodies, and it’s also directly inspired by his city — a place that drives him to be different, to achieve greatness when no one expects him to. Boslen first emerged as an artist in 2018, when he dropped out of school, moved to North Vancouver, and released the Motionless and Motionless II mixtapes. He found his footing in 2019 with the energetic, confrontational songs “Eye for an Eye” and “Hidden Nights,” which garnered millions of streams. In 2019, he released the Black Lotus EP, but even with so many songs out in the world, DUSK to DAWN feels like a step forward, full of boundary-pushing vocal experiments, heavier production, and shapeshifting transitions. The music finally matches the tumultuous emotions he’s captured in his lyrics all along. He may not be able to pull every listener into Vancouver, but he’s using the city’s contrasts as a backdrop to challenge everyone to think beyond themselves — to dream big.
