Sounding like it could have been culled from Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods album (in a good way), What You Didn’t Say is a complex and satisfying single that benefits hugely from the way that Alan’s voice meshes with itself to create a warm and satisfying pad of sound that elevates the chorus to something quite delicious.
Music
Lorine Chia has a sound that is undeniably hers, and the way she floats through the stages of the track, with softness yet intention, is beautifully captivating; and genuinely refreshing amidst today’s musical landscape.
Simple Life is beautifully set-up, bringing together a blues-rock backdrop with Kirby’s own expressive and lightly raspy vocals, mixing in a touch of almost doo-wop style backing vocals – the finish is organic yet crisp and clean enough to really let you blast it at volume to immersive results.
“The song explodes into its final field, reverting back to this idea of the land of hope and glory, these references to death and suffering; the music is heavy and chaotic, vibrant and loud, and the vocal offers a similar level of madness and desperation as the words pour through.”
Patience and peace rarely play a role in modern life, but they should, and perhaps they must as times move faster and grow noisier and more impactful on our every day existence. Enter YIMBY, these compositions, and the choice to temporarily free yourself from the manic downpour of information.
Leading with a classically smooth and hopeful pop backdrop, a creatively meandering synth riff but one that feels notably more complex than the average pop offering, along with a light beat and a quickly emotional, compelling vocal, The Hearts Got Memory shines brightly as a retro pop classic with passion and intention.
New American Hustle sees producer and multi-instrumentalist Ian Smith collaborate with a host of superb vocalists, amidst an array of hard-hitting and almost genre-free compositions; the likes of which pour through with precisely the level of grit, melody and rhythm required to lift you up and provide that perfectly alternative escapism that modern life craves.
The track works hard structurally, and Annika as a leading lady works equally hard to maintain that level of smooth & simple good times. The song is not overly optimistic or loud, far from it – there’s a subtlety to the warmth & enjoyment it drives with, and this is a big part of why it works so well & is likely to appeal on a much broader level.
Mute Davinci doesn’t hide behind anything – the music and the lyrics work as a unit to portray a sense of realness and purity. Even when effects come into play, they’re artistic choices – not something included just to sound relevant or to overcome a bad vocal; far from it. Mute’s voice works well in just about any setting.
There’s a certain passionate depth to the writing, and the featured singer handles and presents this with an air of realness. Behind the vocal though, the soundscape is decidedly complex, unexpectedly detailed and multi-layered to the point that you can pick up something new with each revisit.
17th Letter is an artist with a clear understanding of crafting an ambiance and a moment both musically and vocally with his releases. Kawasaki introduces precisely that style of creativity in an instant, slowly building a soundscape around its listeners that’s all at once contemporary and calm.
Digging deep into precisely the story-line implied by the title, Thank God You Cheated holds nothing back – regret and betrayal roam free throughout the lyrics, the verses in particular detailing both the heartbreak and the desire to move forwards.