The Austin-based Berklee graduate blends live jazz-fusion, hip-hop, funk, and deeply personal writing into a debut centered on relationships, anxiety, and the difficult work of changing yourself.
Michael Arizmendi’s debut single “Dependence” begins from an uncomfortable realization: sometimes the things a person leans on for comfort can also reveal the parts of themselves they have been avoiding. Released August 15, 2025, the song grew from Arizmendi examining his own insecurity inside a relationship, along with his dependence on substances and the experiences that had shaped the way he moved through life. Instead of hiding those contradictions, he turned them into the foundation of a song about becoming more honest with himself.
For Arizmendi, the goal was never simply to document heartbreak or emotional difficulty. “Dependence” is ultimately about recognizing personal flaws and deciding that change has to begin internally. He describes wanting to become better for the people he loves while transforming depression and anxiety into something meaningful enough for other listeners to recognize themselves within it. That philosophy appears directly in one of the song’s defining lines: “I can’t change the world ’til I change myself first, so I put the pen in hand to put out a cursed verse.”
That sense of self-examination is matched by a musical arrangement that refuses to settle comfortably inside one genre. Arizmendi’s sound moves through hip-hop, jazz-fusion, and funk while carrying influences from Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Weather Report, Tyler, The Creator, Common, Snarky Puppy, A Tribe Called Quest, and Herbie Hancock. His jazz foundation reaches even further into the bebop and post-bop traditions of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, and Woody Shaw, particularly in his approach to chord movement, rhythm, and improvisation.
A Berklee College of Music graduate, Arizmendi surrounded himself with musicians he had built real relationships with during his time at the school. Oliver Unger plays bass, San Trinh handles guitar, Samuel Apoutou performs keys, Trey Tarzia plays drums, Luis Reyes contributes alto saxophone, and Georgie Raft provides backing vocals. Arizmendi himself performs trumpet, main vocals, and harmonies. Many of those relationships began through jam sessions, ensembles, dorm practice rooms, and informal performances, which helped create an instinctive chemistry before the musicians ever entered the studio together.
That familiarity became important during the recording process. Arizmendi recalls that members of the rhythm section had already performed together frequently, developing what he describes as an intuitive “hip jazz” sound. Bringing those musicians together around a composition he had written allowed the band to respond naturally to his direction instead of sounding like a group assembled only for a recording session. He has described the experience of hearing everyone immediately connect with his vision as one of the most memorable musical moments he had experienced.
“Dependence” was recorded at Ugly Duck Studios in Dorchester, Massachusetts, with producer and recording engineer Dephrase, also known as Daniel Babai. The production maintains the energy of musicians interacting in real time because the track is built entirely from live instrumentation. The band was recorded first, with Luis Reyes performing saxophone from an isolation booth while Arizmendi sang and rapped in front of the musicians without a microphone. He later overdubbed his lead and backing vocals.
The song continued evolving even after the initial recording. Approximately five months later, Arizmendi felt the saxophone section needed another vocal texture, leading him to bring Georgie Raft back into the production for additional harmonies during the solo. He and Dephrase also introduced a production transition following the saxophone section and before the final verse. Those decisions allowed the finished recording to retain the spontaneity of a live band while still using studio production as a creative tool rather than simply documenting a performance.
The combination reflects Arizmendi’s refusal to separate sophisticated musicianship from vulnerable songwriting. Complex chord progressions, voice-leading, improvisation, an active bass line, intricate rhythmic flows, and acoustic instrumentation all serve a song whose emotional center remains remarkably human. The technical elements are never intended to distract from the message. They give shape to the anxiety, internal conflict, and movement toward self-awareness taking place within the lyrics.
That distinction matters because Arizmendi does not view “Dependence” as a conventional hip-hop, funk, or jazz release. It carries pieces of all three without allowing one label to define the experience. His hope is that listeners from different musical backgrounds can enter through whichever element initially attracts them and remain because they recognize the emotional struggle underneath it.
As a debut, “Dependence” introduces Arizmendi through vulnerability rather than perfection. He acknowledges insecurity, unhealthy patterns, and emotional difficulty while resisting the temptation to present himself as someone who has solved everything. What matters is the decision to look inward and begin changing.
For listeners who have felt trapped inside their own thoughts, relationships, or coping mechanisms, that may be the song’s most relatable idea. “Dependence” does not suggest that growth happens immediately. It begins with recognition. Michael Arizmendi takes that recognition and surrounds it with musicianship, improvisation, and collaboration, creating a debut that turns an internal battle into a shared musical experience.
