{"id":14598,"date":"2025-08-01T15:53:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T20:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=14598"},"modified":"2025-08-01T15:53:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T20:53:33","slug":"alex-cortes-of-noir-l-a-unleashes-progressive-instrumental-single-schizophrenic-daydream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=14598","title":{"rendered":"Alex Cortes of Noir L.A. Unleashes Progressive Instrumental Single \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"851\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Alex-Cortes-of-Noir-L.A.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Alex-Cortes-of-Noir-L.A.jpg 851w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Alex-Cortes-of-Noir-L.A-300x111.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Alex-Cortes-of-Noir-L.A-768x284.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Alex Cortes, the singular force behind <em>Noir L.A.<\/em>, returns with a new video release, \u201c<strong>Schizophrenic Daydream<\/strong>\u201d\u2014a bold, shape-shifting track that defies classification while embracing a progressive metal core. A new video release for a song that is off the first album, <em>Twilight Aftermath<\/em>, arrives as the first taste of what\u2019s to come from <em>Noir L.A.\u2019s<\/em> highly anticipated third album, currently in production.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blending elements of metal, progressive rock, and cinematic soundscapes, \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream\u201d lives up to its title: a controlled explosion of musical chaos that mirrors the unpredictable nature of thought and emotion. Cortes, who performs every instrument himself, calls the song \u201ca rush of energy designed to hit like an endorphin spike. I hope it brings people the kind of excitement and release they didn\u2019t know they needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A history buff and deep thinker fascinated by human psychology, Cortes pours philosophical nuance into his songwriting, even when there are no lyrics. \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream\u201d explores themes of contrast, duality, and perception through rhythm, tempo, and sonic texture rather than words. As with much of his work, it\u2019s as cerebral as it is visceral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Next Chapter of Noir L.A.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Noir L.A.<\/em> is more than a band\u2014it\u2019s a self-contained creative universe. From songwriting to mixing, drum programming to album artwork, <strong>Alex Cortes<\/strong> does it all. Known for this uncompromising artistic approach, fans often compare him to <em>Trent Reznor<\/em> or <em>Lemmy<\/em>\u2014visionaries who don\u2019t just perform music, they embody it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The upcoming third <em>Noir L.A.<\/em> album is shaping up to be Cortes\u2019 most expansive work to date: a genre-spanning record rooted in heavy metal but unbound by tradition. From fierce ballads to progressive instrumentals like \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream,\u201d the album continues <em>Noir L.A.\u2019s<\/em> mission to challenge assumptions about what heavy music can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With live guitarist <strong>Dimitri Mandylor<\/strong> and drummer <strong>Shane Wood<\/strong> (Cortes&#8217; nephew) joining him on stage, <em>Noir L.A.<\/em> transforms from a one-man studio machine into a commanding three-piece live act\u2014known for raw, unpredictable performances that bring Cortes&#8217; intricate recordings to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"nv-iframe-embed\"><iframe title=\"NOIR L.A. - &quot;Schizophrenic Daydream&quot; (Official video)\/\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BOQ42lShzwU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Noir L.A.<\/em> is the brainchild of <strong>Alex Cortes<\/strong>, a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and visual artist. Performing every note and crafting every element himself, Cortes fuses heavy metal, hard rock, progressive, acoustic, and alternative sounds into what he calls <strong>\u201cdiversity metal.\u201d<\/strong> His influences range from <em>The Beatles<\/em>, <em>Black Sabbath<\/em>, and <em>Slayer<\/em> to <em>Jim Croce<\/em>, <em>Paco de Luc\u00eda<\/em>, and vintage horror VHS tapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A self-taught philosopher at heart, Cortes writes with emotional depth, layered symbolism, and a dark, ironic tone. The result is a catalog of music that is musically rich, emotionally raw, and wholly original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow Noir LA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@noirl.a.alex99\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@noirl.a.alex99<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoirLAOfficial\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoirLAOfficial<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Band Lineup (Live Performances):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alex Cortes<\/strong> \u2013 Bass, vocals, songwriting, drum programming, all instruments (studio)<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dimitri Mandylor<\/strong> \u2013 Guitars (live only)<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shane Wood<\/strong> \u2013 Drums (live only)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Cortes, the singular force behind Noir L.A., returns with a new video release, \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream\u201d\u2014a bold, shape-shifting track that defies classification while embracing a progressive metal core. A new video release for a song that is off the first album, Twilight Aftermath, arrives as the first taste of what\u2019s to come from Noir L.A.\u2019s&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=14598\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Alex Cortes of Noir L.A. Unleashes Progressive Instrumental Single \u201cSchizophrenic Daydream\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14598"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14600,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14598\/revisions\/14600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}