Soothing good vibes kick in from the offset as smooth acoustic guitar-picking leads in with a soulful, freely meandering voice. No lyrics yet, just a moment of acoustic music and performance. The sound is crisp, clean, reverb-kissed and dreamy but still intimate enough to feel in tune with the song’s concept.
Soon enough, A.K.A. THE TRUTH, the storyteller, begins to weave these bars around you, much more lyrically dense and more swiftly delivered than expected – there’s an intensity to the tale, a subtle confidence yet melancholy focused on the issues with not communicating in a relationship. It’s captivating, and the words offer an equally compelling backbone that really gives the song something fresh.
Always these heavy verse details resolve with the simple lyric-free melody and soulful expression of the hook – a gorgeous and smart moment, perhaps reflecting the commonplace act of still not saying what’s on your mind, just going with the motions; hoping the difficulties will blow over. It’s endearing to hear this, the progression from profoundly deep, intelligent and faultlessly honest verses, to the simple free-singing of a chorus that simply invites the listener to join in with this heartache – it connects in an instant, becoming precisely the kind of song music fans can opt for at volume whenever they too find themselves lost in their feelings.
An immensely relatable song, with superb lyrics and structure – the sound is likable regardless of what genre you generally turn to; refreshing all the more-so if you’re a hip hop and soul fan. The fusion of styles works beautifully, and with each new listen the sheer humanity and vulnerability at play lyrically is superb.
In My Feelings is a perfectly-timed hit single at just under the four minute mark, yet somehow it all still seems to end too soon. Switching up his flow on three different occasions throughout, riding the simple repetition of the soundscape with style and purity, A.K.A. THE TRUTH is an artist with a boldly appropriate name. The uncertainty, the back-and-forth of these bars, the fact that not a single line seems reminiscent of anything else – even with the familiar, perhaps equally clever title – it holds your attention with ease, and there’s nothing fake or flashy at work to try to win a crowd; the whole thing wins you over with natural style and realness.
A single up there with the best of them, boasting a powerful intro that makes certain you know where you are. Undoubtedly one for the festivals as and when the time returns.
Download or stream the single here. Find & follow A.K.A. THE TRUTH on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
