Bringing you a collection of songs that I love and thought deserved a mention!
Written by Ash
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include commentary from Dog Collar.
Written by Ash
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include commentary from Dog Collar.
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope finals treated you well, and that you are all now enjoying the winter break in a (relatively) stress-free environment. I'd planned to have a new edition of Singles Spotlight ready for you all to read on Christmas morning as my personal gift to you all, but unfortunately, hardly any MTech students released anything during December... probably, y'know, due to finals and all—which I can't fault anyone for considering that I myself basically lived in Bobst for the last couple weeks of the semester! So in lieu of our regular Singles Spotlight edition, I'm instead bringing you an end-of-semester retrospective list of the songs that I haven't been able to get out of my head this fall semester! I've spoken about some of these songs before, while some are brand new to our blog, and I've talked briefly with some of the artists involved in the hopes of sharing with you some of the creative process that went into these songs. So without further ado, I present to you a list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite MTech songs of the semester! I hope you enjoy the music and don't forget to stream the songs at the links I've provided. Here's to a great 2023 and I will see you all soon!
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After 8:30 - And It Goes
This track can be streamed via Joey's Linktree page here!
For the first song we're looking at today, I've selected a little indie pop ditty called "And It Goes", released back in April of 2022. This is the debut single of After 8:30, an indie rock outfit formed in Central Jersey towards the tail end of the pandemic. The band includes MTech sophomore Joey Farrell on keys, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals, NYU Tisch student Matt Woodward on lead guitar and lead vocals, Stevens University music technology undergraduate Sam A. Sherwood on bass, and Eric Tiber on drums. I took the liberty of reaching out to Joey to talk a little bit about the process behind the song. "And It Goes" was actually the first song the group wrote together, and evolved via a sort of extended process of jamming—or "noodling", as Joey aptly put it!
"Our guitarist, Matt, came in with the guitar riff and the prechorus, but nothing else. We all learned the song, and started noodling around trying to compose our own parts… so the structure of the song came first." –Joey Farrell
Built on a summery, sparkling guitar riff, "And It Goes" deals with the aftermath & fallout of a relationship. The song's uptempo presentation and major key musical foundation pair with a set of lead vocal melodies that sort of remind me of early Panic! at the Disco; Matt's lead vocal performance is remarkably loose and organic while also maintaining really strong timefeel and pitch, which, for me, creates a tongue-in-cheek & whimsical vibe that nonetheless showcases a great deal of technical skill. Matt channels a refreshingly camp spirit in his performance, delivering lyrics like "Babe, you are the reason I might just drink a little too much" and dropping casual F-bombs in a way that injects a peppy sense of humor into the song's otherwise heavy subject matter. The vocals absolutely sell the song for me, and the fact that I can totally picture the vocals being delivered with a smile is a huge contributor to the overall fun & somewhat loose vibe of the track.
"The song went untitled for several months because we wanted to come up with a title that was unique… We thought 'And It Goes' represented what the lyrics were about: a vicious cycle." –Joey Farrell
Speaking of vibes, the instrumental backing strikes an excellent balance, managing to be at once uptempo and fun while also being unhurried, chill, and laid-back. The resultant cross-section is an endearing and relaxed endeavor that reminds me of late 1960s pop rock and bubblegum pop acts like The Monkees and The Ohio Express. I think part of the '60s vibes come from the production and mixing choices made here; the dry, austere drum sound and the heavily chorused, shimmering guitar licks both evoke callbacks to surf rock for me. It's evident that the band is also really comfortable playing together; as with Matt's vocal performance, the rest of the band manages a nice cross between being tight and loose simultaneously (how does that even work? I have no idea). The feel is nicely locked-in without ever feeling static, and the band consistently throws us little bits of ear candy to keep us entertained. In particular, I really like Joey's muted melodic guitar lines and gradually swelling backing vocals during the instrumental break before the last chorus, and on drums, Eric consistently gives us great little drum fills that always elevate the groove throughout the length of the track. Part of me wishes the track had more elements, but I also think the breezy, casual energy of the track is part of what makes it work so well; the more I thought about it, the more I realized that adding additional instruments and parts might weigh the song down too much for its own good. In short, it's damn near perfect the way it is, and I wanted to be among the first to commend these guys for the wonderful vibe they managed to capture here! Overall, I love this track for its total commitment to being a free spirit, and I'm certainly going to be watching After 8:30 with a keen eye to see what they do next!
Dog Collar - Multi Split Scan
This song comes from Dog Collar's Turbo Squid, an album which I reviewed this past October! Please feel free to check out that review here. As well, here are links to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp for your listening pleasure!
The DJ duo Ecliptic, made up of NYU MTech undergrads Dog Collar and Kid Reno, has collectively been responsible for a rather large portion of my techno intake from the past semester. Both Dog Collar and Kid Reno released instrumental electronic albums last fall, and I've chosen to spotlight tracks from both artists in today's article! We're taking a deeper look at Dog Collar's "Multi Split Scan", the third track off of his August 2022 full-length release, Turbo Squid. This track was a particular standout from that album for me; I fell in love with "Multi Split Scan" pretty much immediately over its relentlessly funky rhythms and retro soundscape.
"This track started with the drums… I essentially made all the drum parts years ago when I first started making music… then I returned to this song years later, and had some breakthroughs… it's funny that you chose this song because this is technically one of the first Ableton projects I made." –Sunil Prahbu a.k.a. Dog Collar
The track opens with a sparse kick drum pattern under a strange, bitcrushed-sounding bassline. The danceability of this track is off the charts right away, as Dog Collar blesses us with drums that carry a couple different layered hi-hat patterns, as well as hard-panned synth chords that echo the syncopated bassline; the combination of the two creates a distinct groove right from the get-go. I really love the drum sounds on this track; some very organic-sounding hi-hat sounds in the left channel are juxtaposed quite nicely with some very clearly sample-based, MIDI-sounding hi-hats in the right channel, along with a dusty, punchy snare sample that cuts right through the center of the groove. In addition, Dog Collar does some really nice intervallic synth passages during this section. All the analog sounds used here are rich, textured, and full-sounding, and I find myself becoming quite immersed in the spacious and wide-open soundscape here. The combination between warm analog synths and drums that straddle the line between sounding both organic and programmed places this track's soundscape and vibe quite squarely in the late 1990s for me, with albums like PropellerHeads' Decksandrumsandrockandroll coming to the front of my mind here. Dog Collar's take on the '90s is dark, grimy, and hard-edged, while sacrificing none of the funky spirit and raw energy that defines electronic music of this period for me. The main synth motif has some really interesting interplay between alternating harmonic major and minor sevenths, which creates a slightly unsettling vibe since the track never quite reaches a resolution of sorts. Still, though, this makes moments like 1:36 all the more pleasing; when the dissonant intervals drop out and the track settles quite firmly in natural minor, the track gains a really great sense of driving momentum that never fails to get me headbanging.
"The first drum part that starts the second half I actually ran through my vocal bus, autotune and all, just for shits. I thought it sounded good so I kept it… A lot of the drums originated as sample loops (mostly from Reddit, and a couple sample packs recommended from friends). I found that if I accentuated different frequencies in the samples, I could layer them to create more complex rhythms, and then I could add intense reverb or delay to the drum tracks which I wanted to take up most of the atmosphere." –Sunil Prahbu a.k.a. Dog Collar
Past the two-minute mark, the track's second half enters in full force, as the familiar elements disappear, save for the first half's two kick drums, which keep a constant pulse going. We get a number of layered drum breaks during this section, including one in halftime soaked in syncopated delay, plus a couple that exist more towards the front of the mix; Dog Collar mixes and matches pieces from these various drum breaks, which results in a very rhythmically diverse, continually dynamic soundscape that I find really interesting. There's always something new to grab onto and the groove never gets stale at all. The synth work here is a bit more austere, leaving the listener more room to focus on the excellent drum programming & sampling on display. By the time the track reaches the tail end of its four minutes and forty seconds of runtime, we're leagues away from where we began, which I feel speaks to the strength of the experience of the journey that Dog Collar was able to distill here. Despite how dynamic the production is on this track, the spirit of dance consistently remains the focal point here, and "Multi Split Scan" offers no compromises on that front. I imagine this track will translate to dance floors and nightclubs perfectly and I truly cannot wait to experience it live for the first time!
Ethan Crowley - 603
I also reviewed this track as part of my review of Ethan Crowley's latest album, Drowning in a Glass of Water, a review which you can check out here! The album can be streamed via this link.
Way back in October, I decided I wanted to start a blog wherein I reviewed music released by other students in the program, a decision partially spurred by the wonderful exchanges of feedback and constructive criticism at the Collegium listening sessions I'd participated in to that point. In particular, the September Collegium listening session brought to the stage singer-songwriter Ethan Crowley and his track "In My Dreams", the lead single from his debut LP. I found myself really moved by not just that track, but also the earnest comments on it made by the Collegium audience, and it just so happened that Ethan's debut project, Drowning in a Glass of Water, was the first LP I took a crack at on this blog. So in a way, I guess, Ethan's partially responsible for the birth of this blog, for better or for worse!
Anyways, as great a track as "In My Dreams" was, it's not that song we're looking at today; rather, I've chosen "603" for inclusion on this semester-end retrospective instead. The seventh track off of Drowning in a Glass of Water, this track sees Ethan's innate folk songwriting sensibilities collide with an excellent pop chorus to create an achingly tender final product that displays Ethan's strengths at their finest.
"I wrote '603' during a pretty difficult year for me, and I used that song to express some of the emotions that I was feeling." –Ethan Crowley
The song opens with a straightforward electric guitar riff that outlines an austere pop chord progression. Ethan delivers subdued & tender vocals over this sparse instrumental foundation for the duration of this first verse; his melodies are really nice here, and his performance rather convincingly communicates the song's topics of regret and heartbreak. The first chorus sees Ethan deliver a powerful, soaring chorus melody with throbbing pathos; this chorus is absolutely killer and hearing Ethan let the vocals rip like this consistently makes for a great moment. The magic only builds from here, though, as the second verse makes a number of striking changes to the established soundscape; the lead vocals become accompanied by some really nicely octave doubled backing vocals, and the finger-picked electric guitar from the first verse is replaced by some chunky, rhythmic power chords played on stereoized and doubled acoustic guitars over a subtle electric bass. Although this second verse is still pretty understated in its presentation, the introduction of all these new elements makes the song feel distinctly bigger and larger in scope at this point. The song manages the buildup and constant evolution of its soundscape really well, which is definitely one of my favorite things about this track and speaks to Ethan's strengths as a songwriter, arranger, and producer.
After the second chorus, Ethan gives us an achingly tender bridge before dropping back into a stripped-back rendition of the chorus section. From here, some vocal runs and the subtle entrance of a piano build up the song one last time before the song's grandiose final chorus, during which Ethan hits some amazing tenor harmonies over an increasingly tortured lead vocal performance in a moment that drives home all the emotion all at once. The various guitar sounds from earlier in the track combine and join forces for this final chorus, backed by some really tasteful piano countermelodies. By the time the song ends, I'm utterly emotionally spent, which I feel is a sign that the emotional journey Ethan crafted for us here was executed exceptionally well. The last chorus hits like nothing else, and the track's peaks and valleys culminate in an exquisite release of tension that I feel is truly special. However, if I have one criticism of this song, it has to do with the vocals. Ethan's a great singer, don't get me wrong, but I find some of the pitch correction work done on his vocals to be a bit much, especially when his vocals dip into the lower parts of his range during the verses; he ends up sounding a bit artificial for my taste, which is a shame, because his voice is truly great and deserves to exist in its natural state. I also find the choice of reverb on the lead vocals to be slightly distracting; this reverb has a really long, pronounced tail, and it tends to crash back on itself in a way that reduces the intelligibility of the lyrics a bit too much. Otherwise, though, this track is truly a breathtaking showcase of Ethan's abilities as a performer, producer, and songwriter, and it should absolutely be going on your playlist of breakup songs from here on out! I consider "603" to be a rare achievement of songwriting pathos, and I hope that one day, I'll be able to sell emotion as convincingly as Ethan managed here. I eagerly await whatever new release follows Drowning in a Glass of Water, and I hope the Collegium crowd loves the next single as much as we did the last one!
Kid Reno - REDEYEBROWS135
I reviewed the project this song came from, Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs, back in October. Feel free to read that review here! Additionally, here are links to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp!
"'REDEYEBROWS135' was created by me, high as hell in Austria before I went back to sleep, experimenting with kick tones, frequency shifters, and LFOs to create my rhythms and hi-hats, because my friend dyed his eyebrows red and I thought they looked really good." –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno
Before I'd made my first foray into the music of Dog Collar, Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs was the second project I ever reviewed on this blog, and it's a really good one, throwing the listener headbanging bombast and meditative soundscapes in equal measure. To this day, I can't think of anything else that sounds quite like it; Reno managed a really excellent combination of saavy sampling work and innovative production to create a thoroughly futuristic project. Today, I'm taking a deeper look at "REDEYEBROWS135", the second track off the LP. Created during Kid Reno's stay in a mountain resort in Austria during the summer of 2022, this is a more chilled-out endeavor compared to some of the more breakneck moments of unadulterated raw energy on this record, pulling soundscapes and rhythms from '90s house music in the pursuit of a distinctly laid-back, aquatic techno vibe.
"I smoked a spliff and opened Ableton and was messing around with its stock arpeggiators until I tweaked a patch to my liking—that's the first sound you hear." –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno
The track opens with a heavenly, reverb-heavy arpeggiator sound, articulating a shimmery melody through watery bells and chimes that continually sound from different places in the stereo field. Soon after, a tight, round synth bass enters amidst shuffling, syncopated percussion rhythms. The synth bass hits every quarter note, while a soft kick drum hits some nice offbeat pulses pretty far back in the mix, creating a subtly complex rhythmic feel that anchors this opening section. I really enjoy the vibe of this section, which I felt meshed some really well-chosen sounds together to create a really strong underwater techno soundscape, lending the track its own unique vibe and spirit right away.
"…I was using MIDI for ['REDEYEBROWS135'] and was having a lot of fun turning some lo-fi keyboard sounds into my kick tones… I found that there's a certain frequency range, around 40 to 80 Hz, that really shines… so I take my sound, and then I use a frequency shifter to tune it down to a specific hertz, and then I use the Spectrum Ableton plugin to watch where the frequency lands… then I use a lot of EQ… and then I use saturators and drum busses to darken the sound and create a fuller noise… there's this stock reverb in Ableton called "Sub Boom", and it reverberates the low end like crazy and creates a sub, so I'll take that and double it… so at the end of it, there will be three or four layers…" –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno
The track's second half brings a pretty significant beat switch, as a wubby kick drum enters, replacing the synth bass, and the whole track darkens significantly in terms of both frequency content and vibe. The arpeggiators from the first half remain, though they sound bigger and more reverb-heavy now, almost like they're calling out to the listener from the back of a cave. A relatively simple hi-hat pattern then becomes layered with an additional drum break sample, incorporating many metallic-sounding percussion hits that flicker in and out of each ear. The track's last section brings a set of almost human-like breath noises that oscillate, alternating with crushed snare hits as the hi-hats pick up the pace and the energy builds to its peak. I really enjoy the sense of dynamism and gradual movement this track brings; the arpeggiators stay constant throughout, whereas the rest of the soundscape undergoes slight changes moment-to-moment that help the whole song stay fresh and interesting. Reno's sound design is really incredible here, and I think his custom sounds—most notably that keyboard sound that he turned into a kick drum—do a lot to sculpt the truly unique soundscape of this track. This track is perfect for the dance floor and I am counting down the days until winter break is over and I can finally see Ecliptic perform live! With the one-two punch of Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs and Dog Collar's Turbo Squid, I feel relatively safe in declaring 2022 as a W for the DJ duo, and I hope their journey into 2023 sees a continuation of the exciting and evolving musical soundscapes they've established here.
nickwuh - my everest
My review of nickwuh's us against the universe is probably still the single longest review I've ever written on this blog, and I truly poured my heart and soul into it, so I would greatly appreciate it if y'all would check it out here! As always, here are the streaming links to the project on Spotify and Apple Music.
With a 17-track album and a healthy handful of singles under his belt during this year alone, picking a standout nickwuh track proved to be a really difficult task when I was writing this article. Having said that, though, the clear choice for me was "my everest"; though this track never saw the light of day as its own single release, I thought it appropriate to show some album cuts some love! The sixth track off of nickwuh's sprawling studio effort us against the universe, "my everest" takes just about everything I love about Nick Wu's music and distills it into a four-minute opus that is easily one of my most replayed student tracks of the year. Nick gives us an earnestly vulnerable and honest performance through earworm pop vocal melodies, meticulously layered production, and enough genre crossovers and beat switches to satisfy even the most jaded of pop listeners.
The track opens with a short verse from featured artists thms. over a bed of understated, warm synth pads. A short instrumental break introduces a bright guitar riff that Nick says was inspired by HoneyComeBear's "Wasurekata". Nick named a couple other tracks as direct influences upon the songwriting & production of "my everest", namely Puppet's "Fuji Rock" and James Ivy's "Yearbook", both of which straddle the line between electronica and pop punk. That crossgenre combination shines through clearly, with the combination of Nick's synth-based electronic production and emo-influenced vocal melodies anchoring "my everest".
"Puppet's EDM pop punk style is deeply ingrained into my influences… his music was my introduction into pop punk." –Nick Wu a.k.a. nickwuh
The second featured artist, lil slav, takes over lead vocals for the second verse, trading lines back and forth with Nick before a soft, tenderly performed bridge courtesy of Jason Solo. I really love Jason's performance on the bridge here; he brings a really mellow, richly textured vocal timbre that makes for a nice contrast with the singing voices of both lil slav and Nick himself, which tend to be lighter in tone and sharper-sounding overall. Jason also delivers some of the most earnest and hard-hitting lyrics on the song during this section, as he relates, "A stupid thing to dream for someone seventeen/Yet a song that turns out right is still a victory". Speaking of lyrics, "my everest" is about the personal fulfillment and existential satisfaction that Nick (and friends) gain from pursuing music as a passion; the title refers to the characterization of music as a "never-ending climb", thus being like Everest in a sense. Now, maybe I'm just a little biased here, since as an MTech student myself, I've also chosen to pursue music full-time, but I found this song extremely relatable. I thought that Nick's earnest lyricism and heartfelt performance sold how emotionally weighty the decision to pursue a career as dicey as music can be, and that's something I imagine many of us can relate to.
"The initial chorus for 'my everest' came to me one day as I was recording vocals… I came up with the idea around the end of my junior year summer, so it took basically a whole year for me to finally finish it." –Nick Wu a.k.a. nickwuh
Coming out of the track's final chorus, Nick blesses us with a truly meteoric beat switch, as the tempo slows down enough for some crashing acoustic drums and massive guitars to take up the pulse of the song instead in a moment that goes full-tilt pop punk. Izomii takes over lead vocals during this final act, bringing an Alex Gaskarth meets Gerard Way-esque vocal performance that sees them nail soaring melodies with ease. The lead vocals are also accompanied by some economical yet effective sustained backing vocal harmonies for a remarkably beautiful pairing; the vocals in this section are truly perfect and do a great deal to advance the sense of emotional release I get from this outro section. The outro of "my everest" is probably one of my favorite outros in any piece of music, ever, and it makes for a truly climactic moment in the song's progression. If I had one piece of constructive feedback to give, it might be that I feel that the song takes a little too long to get us to this point, but I also think that the four minutes of runtime we have to get through before the outro is precisely why that outro works so well; it feels utterly earned and it feels like a huge release of everything we've spent the past four minutes building up. I will, however, echo one of my greater points of contention with us against the universe here, and say that I wish that the vocal processing & vocal performances were more distinct; it's not always obvious to me whether thms. or lil slav or Nick himself is singing at any given moment, and I'd love to be able to tell their voices apart a little bit more. Otherwise, though, this track is truly great, and I'll be the first to reference it as a peak example of how Nick's music crosses genre boundaries and nails down great pop hooks in a way that for me is truly special.
Thai Thai - KILL 4 MY SPOT
This track comes off of Thai Thai's EP TELEVISED SUICIDE, which you can stream here! As always, feel free to check out my review of that project at this link, and don't forget to watch the extremely eye-catching music video for the track on YouTube!
Thai Thai's short, five-track EP TELEVISED SUICIDE is perhaps my favorite rap project I've reviewed this past semester, and today I've selected the EP's second track, "KILL 4 MY SPOT", for further review! A striking & gripping experience from start to finish, TELEVISED SUICIDE is a body of work defined by its emotionally open and vulnerable take on trauma and loss, along with an overarching theme of the constant interrogation of oneself and the pursuit of personal growth, all rendered through Thai Thai's excellent lyrical sensibilities and songwriting prowess. "KILL 4 MY SPOT" basically takes all of the myriad strengths of TELEVISED SUICIDE and condenses them into a tight three-minute package that I feel makes for a resoundingly successful introduction to the universe of Thai Thai and his music.
"I found creative inspiration from artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Denzel Curry… I'd say Kendrick Lamar inspired the hook specifically… Denzel Curry is an inspiration behind almost every one of my verses when it comes to delivery, flow, and lyricism." –Mathias Quilon a.k.a. Thai Thai
"KILL 4 MY SPOT" brings an instrumental made by San Francisco producer sliquethousin. Based in sweet harp chords over sparse percussion, vocal chanting, and subtle string lines, the instrumental feels very solidly indebted to modern conscious rap; I was immediately reminded of J Cole and Kendrick Lamar on first listen, a resemblance enhanced somewhat by Thai Thai's delivery, which I thought bore a striking similarity to Kendrick's own voice. Thai Thai's Denzel Curry influences are also very clear here, as his verses carry a confident swagger that belies the undercurrent of self-interrogation and introspection that define the track's lyrical throughline; the result reminds me very much of the trauma-focused and introspective topics on both Kendrick's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers as well as Denzel's Melt My Eyez, See Your Future. Lyrically speaking, the track deals with the implications of pursuing music when it comes to one's perception of oneself, balancing aggressive bravado in the verses with open vulnerability in the chorus in a way that feels cohesive. I very much admire this track's deconstruction of the self, and its willingness to openly interrogate the behaviors that led to its creation—attributes which I feel speak to a certain artistic boldness that helped me develop a healthy respect for Thai Thai's creative journey as an artist.
"Lyrically, I wanted to speak on the feeling of coming into my own as an artist… I also wanted to touch on how pursuing a musical path has affected the way others perceive me, because at the time I felt I was being criticized by a lot of people for simply doing something that makes me happy." –Mathias Quilon a.k.a. Thai Thai
I also wanted to draw particular attention to the mixing and mastering work done by Thai Thai on this track. In my initial review of TELEVISED SUICIDE, I gave particular praise to the EP's level of professionalism and polish in its presentation, and I've only grown more impressed with it as time goes on. On "KILL 4 MY SPOT", everything feels like it has space within the mix, and all the elements work together in support of the song as a whole. The lead vocal engineering on the track is also a standout feature, as Thai Thai used a heavy chorus in order to sink the vocals more deeply into the instrumental background; the song feels & moves like a totally locked-in cogent unit, which I think helps a lot in the cultivation of the track's unique vibe. It's sometimes said that the best mixing and mastering work goes unnoticed, and I'd say that holds true here; there's absolutely nothing to break the immersion or pull me out of the experience, and with this track, the experience is everything. "KILL 4 MY SPOT" seeks to balance grounded pensiveness and existential frustration in a wholly brave & vulnerable combination, executed with professional-grade precision. With TELEVISED SUICIDE, Thai Thai cemented himself as one of my favorite rappers from the MTech scene, and I'll be sure to stay tuned to see what he does next!
webcage - self-esteem
This track can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as purchased via Bandcamp!
This track can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as purchased via Bandcamp!
The hyperpop collective webcage, which includes former MTech student torr and current MTech undergraduate Franco Vizcaya a.k.a. _st1cks alongside a plethora of other members, is on the rise amidst the Internet hyperpop scene. webcage recently passed ten thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, and I've been eagerly following their gradual rise in popularity over the past year or so. I've found one particular track, entitled "self-esteem", routinely cropping up in my Spotify listening history during this stretch, and I thought I'd take a closer look at this track today!
"self-esteem" is the opening track off of webcage's acclaimed 2021 LP peer2peer, a collection of banger hyperpop tracks that inhabit a pop punk-adjacent soundscape built on top of innovative sound design and unique combinations of crossgenre elements. I took a quick read through some online commentary about the album, and found users who drew comparisons to the work of underscores, glaive, and BROCKHAMPTON, referencing webcage's Internet collective beginnings and pop punk-inspired sound.
"self-esteem" opens with a reverb-heavy drum break, followed by a wailing lead synth, sparse yet bouncy drums, and massive synth bass that hit us with a huge, forceful first chorus. The hook here is performed by torr, webcage founder and former MTech undergraduate whose own solo track "selfdestruct" just crossed 1.5 million Spotify plays late last year. torr's vocals here are slathered in autotune and distortion, pairing a lower lead vocal with a formant-shifted, high-pitched backing vocal an octave up. As with his own solo work, torr's vocal melody here is irresistibly catchy, conveying a fun-loving spirit and lack of self-seriousness that results in a thoroughly entertaining earworm of a hook. The first verse, performed by Portland-based artist saoirse dream, brings something of a vibe switch, as the bouncy, heavy synthesizers from the hook are replaced by moody emo finger-picked electric guitars and autotuned backing vocal harmonies. Speaking of, the harmonies are really nice here, as saoirse dream pairs some backing melodies that weave and duck independently of one another in a way that almost feels contrapuntal. The result is remarkably organic & textured despite the heavy use of autotune, as the harmonies never feel static, and they continually outline the song's underlying chord progression in new and interesting ways. saoirse dream also brings one of my favorite lyrics on the record, as they open their verse with the lines, "Most days I can't remember what I did the day before/I probably just sat in my bed leaving empty monsters on the floor", through a nicely-flowing melody that parallels the apathetic lyrics very well.
daywaiter's second verse brings some nicely-arranged vocal harmonies that serve to further intensify the BROCKHAMPTON parallels for me, as something about daywaiter's vocal timbre here reminds me a little of Kevin Abstract. The luscious vocal layers have some interesting interplay here as they alternate in and out, further diversifying the melodic soundscape. bh's chorus follows shortly after, bringing an octave-doubled main melody as he discusses themes of self-discovery and bottling-up of one's problems. There's also some cool call-and-response bits of backing vocals that echo parts of the lead vocal in interesting ways. Nebita's third verse represents a bit of a come-down, as the vibe gets a little more chilled out. I really love the timbre of the fourth verse's vocalist, wishlane; I can't think of any specific vocalist wishlane's voice reminds me of, but I really like the almost R&B-esque vocal inflections and organic vocal chain in use here. wishlane's verse makes for a decidedly human moment, which I thought was a great pacing decision before the track's blazing final act. This verse also ends with a really cool moment wherein wishlane sings a progressively ascending sustained note alongside what sounds like digital formant shifting, creating an effect where their voice starts as a relatively normal-sounding tenor before ascending in pitch past the realm of one's natural vocal range; I thought it made for a nice marriage between the artistic abilities of webcage's members and the cool production techniques and technological trickery they employed here.
The track's last section sees the return of torr's opening hook, this time backed by some fast-paced, chunky pop punk power chords and crescendoing acoustic drums that swell into a crashing, bombastic final chorus in a moment that feels like a distinctly modern spin on early Blink-182 for me. The last chorus gives us huge, distorted power chords and heavily-limited, punchy drums that amass into a titanic wall of sound. This last chorus is truly beautiful and it makes for a deeply cathartic release of tension; the cross-section of disaffected apathy, raging loneliness, and bombastic hedonism absolutely make this song for me, and I hope webcage gives us another project soon that builds on everything that made this one great!
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That's all for this Fall 2022 retrospective review! Thank you all so much for your support, as always! We hope to share many more reviews with you in the coming semester. Enjoy the rest of the break and I will see you all on the eighth floor in the new semester!
–Ash
"self-esteem" is the opening track off of webcage's acclaimed 2021 LP peer2peer, a collection of banger hyperpop tracks that inhabit a pop punk-adjacent soundscape built on top of innovative sound design and unique combinations of crossgenre elements. I took a quick read through some online commentary about the album, and found users who drew comparisons to the work of underscores, glaive, and BROCKHAMPTON, referencing webcage's Internet collective beginnings and pop punk-inspired sound.
"self-esteem" opens with a reverb-heavy drum break, followed by a wailing lead synth, sparse yet bouncy drums, and massive synth bass that hit us with a huge, forceful first chorus. The hook here is performed by torr, webcage founder and former MTech undergraduate whose own solo track "selfdestruct" just crossed 1.5 million Spotify plays late last year. torr's vocals here are slathered in autotune and distortion, pairing a lower lead vocal with a formant-shifted, high-pitched backing vocal an octave up. As with his own solo work, torr's vocal melody here is irresistibly catchy, conveying a fun-loving spirit and lack of self-seriousness that results in a thoroughly entertaining earworm of a hook. The first verse, performed by Portland-based artist saoirse dream, brings something of a vibe switch, as the bouncy, heavy synthesizers from the hook are replaced by moody emo finger-picked electric guitars and autotuned backing vocal harmonies. Speaking of, the harmonies are really nice here, as saoirse dream pairs some backing melodies that weave and duck independently of one another in a way that almost feels contrapuntal. The result is remarkably organic & textured despite the heavy use of autotune, as the harmonies never feel static, and they continually outline the song's underlying chord progression in new and interesting ways. saoirse dream also brings one of my favorite lyrics on the record, as they open their verse with the lines, "Most days I can't remember what I did the day before/I probably just sat in my bed leaving empty monsters on the floor", through a nicely-flowing melody that parallels the apathetic lyrics very well.
daywaiter's second verse brings some nicely-arranged vocal harmonies that serve to further intensify the BROCKHAMPTON parallels for me, as something about daywaiter's vocal timbre here reminds me a little of Kevin Abstract. The luscious vocal layers have some interesting interplay here as they alternate in and out, further diversifying the melodic soundscape. bh's chorus follows shortly after, bringing an octave-doubled main melody as he discusses themes of self-discovery and bottling-up of one's problems. There's also some cool call-and-response bits of backing vocals that echo parts of the lead vocal in interesting ways. Nebita's third verse represents a bit of a come-down, as the vibe gets a little more chilled out. I really love the timbre of the fourth verse's vocalist, wishlane; I can't think of any specific vocalist wishlane's voice reminds me of, but I really like the almost R&B-esque vocal inflections and organic vocal chain in use here. wishlane's verse makes for a decidedly human moment, which I thought was a great pacing decision before the track's blazing final act. This verse also ends with a really cool moment wherein wishlane sings a progressively ascending sustained note alongside what sounds like digital formant shifting, creating an effect where their voice starts as a relatively normal-sounding tenor before ascending in pitch past the realm of one's natural vocal range; I thought it made for a nice marriage between the artistic abilities of webcage's members and the cool production techniques and technological trickery they employed here.
The track's last section sees the return of torr's opening hook, this time backed by some fast-paced, chunky pop punk power chords and crescendoing acoustic drums that swell into a crashing, bombastic final chorus in a moment that feels like a distinctly modern spin on early Blink-182 for me. The last chorus gives us huge, distorted power chords and heavily-limited, punchy drums that amass into a titanic wall of sound. This last chorus is truly beautiful and it makes for a deeply cathartic release of tension; the cross-section of disaffected apathy, raging loneliness, and bombastic hedonism absolutely make this song for me, and I hope webcage gives us another project soon that builds on everything that made this one great!
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That's all for this Fall 2022 retrospective review! Thank you all so much for your support, as always! We hope to share many more reviews with you in the coming semester. Enjoy the rest of the break and I will see you all on the eighth floor in the new semester!
–Ash
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