Treated strings swoon along like squeezeboxes, guitars work together with a comforting stereo spread. Bass quietly thrums and underpins. The harmonising to the lead vocal is effortless but vital. The harmonies chosen warm the song through to the core. It’s a delicate and thoughtful piece that showcases a tremendous, characterful vocal.
Chris Porter
In an age of pitch correction and quantised instruments, here is a journey into sound that allows you to hear every pluck, every strum and every word with a vibrancy and clarity that speaks volumes about the live experience and about an exceptionally well-rehearsed band that have been honing their craft and chemistry together for the best part of twenty years.
The last nod to the Baby Shark phenomenon is the post-chorus part, which harks back to 50s doo-wop, with its nonsense rhythmic lyrics. Altogether now: ‘Bam-a-lam-a-lam-a-ding-dong…’
With some decent exposure, I could imagine Let Me Know appealing to a very broad demographic: it’s a confident slice of hip-hop that ticks all the lifestyle-centric tropes of current on-trend bangers. It feels mature and authentically honest without being too knowing or too cynical, and deserves to be shared around.
BICHAI is self-described as an electronic lounge artist, which might imply that a listening experience is an indoor one. But if you close your eyes and listen, the scope of the vision and the depth of the sonic choice makes it a far wider one.
To quote their own subtitles in the video, this tune is ‘shwanky boooyyyyzzz’! It’s confident, full of swagger and fine musicianship. The guitar playing is as crisp and detailed as you could wish for – and the whole is a toe-tapping lesson in full-on groove.
The band are working out a lot harder than a cursory listen would imply, and their attention to detail is a pleasure to notice upon repeat listens. I would say that they deserve a shout-out, but this is a lullaby…
“On the one hand, you have the energy, aggression, primal power and delivery that could melt your face off if you stood too close. And on the other you have melodic sweetness, the calm eye at the centre of the storm.”
Coming on strong with a fresh arrangement that keeps the listener’s ears standing to attention and poised to receive throughout, Without Your Love goes through a commanding raft of changes as it progresses.
If you were setting out to write a banger, you’d be well advised to analyse this latest confection from Nikotene, which switches up dynamics all over the shop to retain interest, and litters the lyrics with smart contemporary references which delight and satisfy in equal measure.
Rasha has created some intelligent, fantastic support for her voice in this spacious production. Instruments are stabbing their different colours at the canvas to create splashes of interest providing the backdrop to the main event, which is absolutely Rasha’s lead vocal.
This song is a blast! I have a personal philosophy that music can be a very cost-effective holiday. Here, that feeling has been made flesh.