Singles Spotlight: April 2023 - Ethan Crowley, Han, jolin.AA, Strawberry Launch, Square Enigma

Bringing you a crop of exciting releases in the wake of MTech Invasion!

Written by Alex "Ash" Han & Reggie Katz in collaboration

Greetings to all and welcome back to Singles Spotlight! We hope you all are doing well and staying healthy as the semester winds down and the run-up to final exams begins! Reggie & I have lots of great music to review for you guys this month; we tag-teamed this edition together, and we've been able to split up to cover lots of great music. Reggie's covering the new Strawberry Launch single, "Ready Yet", plus my own release from the tail end of last month, "Pathological (Who I Am)", which is a huge honor for me personally! I'm covering new releases from Square Enigma, Ethan Crowley, and jolin.AA on my end of things. As always, don't forget to support these artists by streaming their music via the links we've provided below, and we hope you enjoy the music! See you all further down the page!

Square Enigma - Aether

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream "Aether" via Square Enigma's Hyperfollow page!

 

My time in MTech has largely converted me from being a "law of averages" kind of guy to a firm believer in Murphy's Law—in part due to the somewhat chaotic nature of Music Technology as a field, but also because I'm not sure that the absurd number of people named Alex in the MTech Program is entirely representative of the overall distribution of people named Alex throughout the worldwide population, given that there seems to be an Alex no matter which way you turn on the eighth floor! The subject of today's writing, though, Alex Ehasz, also known as Square Enigma, hasn't graced the eighth floor with his presence in some time, but while on temporary hiatus from pursuing an undergraduate degree in the MTech program, he has also blessed us with a new single, this one titled "Aether"! This new single also represents my first foray into the musical world of Square Enigma. It's a great track in its own right (plus, I also feel obligated to maintain the inter-Alex fraternity), and so it's the first track we're going to look at today!

 

"This track started as a rhythmic experiment with drum parts in different meters, modifying and arranging them to fit into a cohesive 4-bar loop… It involved an iterative process of manual chopping and re-arranging, and a few automated processes. There were enough chance-based processes that I actually couldn’t recreate this exact break if I wanted to." –Alex Ehasz a.k.a. Square Enigma

 

"Aether" is a bit of an unusual single, owing to its use of chance-based parts in order to create something that feels truly chaotic and dynamic. It opens on a crazy, off-kilter drum pattern, which has a distinct loop to it while also embracing complicated polyrhythms and a nonstandard feel that endows "Aether" with an incredible groove from the get-go. Alex soon throws us some ethereal synth pads as well, outlining a minor progression backed with muted synth bells and arpeggiators. The overall vibe is distinctly cyberpunk-flavored, and I caught certain similarities to the work of Dog Collar and P.H.0 in this respect. Divining the song structure of such a chaotic and intense track like this proved to be a difficult task, but I particularly fell in love with a really cool breakdown section that features a few really nice synth patches, including this acid-heavy synth bass that hit some cool stabs over a rapidly-subdivided kick drum that reminded me a bit of New Order's "Blue Monday". Alex uses a ton of cool arrangement tricks to create interesting ear-candy moments; introducing manipulated sound effects and reversing kick drums at opportune yet unexpected times, he demonstrates an instinctive feel for the momentum of the track and selectively augments it with little touches here and there to keep it resolutely moving forward in a way that feels earned without ever being predictable. This mastery of arrangement is one of Square Enigma's biggest strengths, and "Aether" displays it in force throughout its four minutes of runtime.

 

"Outside of the drums, a sine wave sub, and a few SFX, this track is entirely virtual analog synthesis. I won’t pull out the drawer of old clichés (“warm” “lush” “organic” etc. etc.,) but I do enjoy the aesthetic somewhat retro sounds bring to a more contemporary arrangement." –Alex Ehasz a.k.a. Square Enigma

 

Halfway through, the track goes into a middle section where the drums drop out and the darkwave-esque synth pads carry us forward into a modulation up to a major key. I really enjoyed Alex's sound design here. His synthesizer work strikes a balance between apocalyptic and wondrous, imbuing the track with an effortless sense of scale that never feels contrived or manufactured. I'm sure his chord choices have something to do with that as well, as he employs chordal extensions as additional flavoring on occasion in order to spice things up and continue increasing the scope of the track even further. Before long, though, we collapse back into the track's original key, and the crazy drum loop makes a return for one last triumphant moment before the track makes its exit on a prolonged synth whine as it slowly fades away.

 

"One of the big inspirations for this track was the idea of movement within New York City, of bodies and vehicles and everything else. I always notice this highly organized chaos, people acting as independent agents but moving in similar directions in a controlled way. I wanted to capture this sonically, these disparate and free elements contributing to this collective flow." –Alex Ehasz a.k.a. Square Enigma

 

"Aether" makes for a hugely successful introduction to the music of Square Enigma. I genuinely had no idea what to expect going into this thing, and yet somehow I was still pleasantly surprised, mostly on account of the track's insane combination of polymeter, polyrhythm, and iterative processes. It feels like a thoroughly Music Technology sort of a track, embracing an equal collision between ephemeral artistic creativity and hard science. On both fronts, "Aether" is unassailable; the strength of its core ideas results in a thoroughly journey-like experience that successfully conveys the "organized chaos" of New York City that inspired the track in the first place. Alex wields his skills in synth design and drum programming in bringing his creative vision to life in a way that decisively takes this track beyond the realm of IDM and into territory that genuinely sounds like nothing I've ever heard before, and in this way it makes a truly profound artistic statement. It's truly an enigma, a square peg in a round hole, a thing that really shouldn't work but somehow manages to nonetheless. In short, I really enjoyed this song, and I hope that "Aether" is but the first in a long line of thought-provoking, head-spinning techno that continues to take us to places we've never been before. 

 

Strawberry Launch - Ready Yet

Reviewed by Reggie Katz, edited by Alex "Ash" Han

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream "Ready Yet" via Strawberry Launch's Linktree page! Also available there are links to buy tickets for Strawberry Launch's upcoming shows, as well as the music video for "Ready Yet"!

 

Hello everyone and thank you for joining us for April’s edition of Singles Spotlight! This month I checked out 2 new releases, the first one being from Strawberry Launch, a band that I quickly became a big fan of when I reviewed their debut EP in January which you can read here. The female-fronted indie-rock band features Taylor Hurt on keyboard, Matrianna Gahol on guitar, Abby Flicker on bass, Benjy Berkowitz on drums, and Riiza on lead vocals. At the beginning of the year, the band had a little over 2,000 monthly listeners and their number of Spotify streams totaled under 50,000. Strawberry Launch now has over 26,000 monthly listeners at the time of this review, and their most popular track, "Sweet Basil", has over 175,000 streams. It’s great to see that Strawberry Launch is starting to get the recognition they deserve, and based on their killer latest single, ‘Ready Yet’, I only expect their fanbase to grow like weeds!

"Everyone talks about 'coming of age' and romanticizing youth, but no one talks about how scary change is in your twenties when you're left to your own devices." –Taylor Hurt, keyboardist & backing vocalist

 

Before any instruments in ‘Ready Yet’ come in, Riiza’s sharp lead vocals enter, with acoustic guitar chords coming into the mix shortly after. The acoustic guitar is produced in a similar way that you might build an indie electric guitar tone: chorus reverb, light compression, and putting a spotlight on the mid-high range of the instrument. The implementation of the acoustic guitar is quite unique to this track. The strumming is very light and gives the production some brightness in combination with the effects used on it. They have decided the acoustic was best used to help build the bubbly atmosphere they are creating, as opposed to using it as a more percussive device, which happens very often in acoustic guitar-heavy songs. Underneath the vocals and guitar, the bass and drums are playing a nice groove that sits just right to not be overpowering, but still present enough to keep the energy of the track pushing forward. After the first chorus, the drums come in a little louder with a simple but resolute groove that fits beautifully to add excitement to the long first chorus that opens the song. The lyrics read as the anxious inner thoughts of someone who has to grow up but isn’t prepared for that change. The synth layers and backing vocals that come in at the pre-chorus are arranged in an expert way that compliments everything else going on in the track already, while also helping build to the climax of the chorus. When we reach the chorus, Riiza sings “I’m not ready yet”, which seems to be referring to the big changes that are happening to her in the big city, and how it can be hectic trying to manage those changes when you live in a place where there is always something going on—a struggle that becomes even more hectic when you’re dealing with relationship drama. After the chorus, the synths and backing vocals are stripped away and the song goes back to a similar groove to its beginning. When the second chorus comes in, it has a similar feel as the first one. Clearly, this bunch is aware that you can’t do something in a song the exact same twice. Hence, the synth doubles the lead vocal melody at some points in the chorus as well as adding its own elements that create a little bit of a wonky feeling since the synth is fairly soloistic, but pretty far back in the mix. The synth could’ve been brought out more since it sounds like it was played as a solo, but this didn’t bother me too much since I was still able to hear it very clearly. On the choruses, it sounds like they use acoustic and electric guitars to give the guitar sound more of a full body. Following the second chorus, there is an experimental-sounding interlude/bridge featuring acoustic guitars, electric guitars, vocal adlibs, and various synth sounds. During this little interlude, they made use of several applied chords, so maybe being required to take Aural Comp isn’t totally useless after all! The interlude takes us back to one final chorus until we come to the end where Riiza sings “I’m not ready yet and neither are you” totally acapella. 

"I feel like I'm still learning and growing with myself every day and I wanted to write about the anxiety it gives me to compare my life trajectory to those closest to me." –Riiza, lead vocalist

 

Although 26,000 people is a respectable-sized group of listeners, I’m surprised their Spotify monthly listener count is that low! Even when writing about saddening topics like growing up and feeling alone in a big city, they still find ways to keep their shimmer and brightness present, in this case through their production, which is what makes them so great! Riiza’s soft, rounded timbre has vocal qualities similar to Mitski, but the band has energy and vibrance comparable to Tank and the Bangas. Their lead vocal processing, which is familiar if you’ve listened to their past releases, utilizes a big reverb and small tremolo that always hooks the listener in. Incorporating many different guitar textures was a lovely way to keep the track exciting. A big chunk of the signature Strawberry Launch sound lives in the guitar arrangements as well, so I think it’s really important for them to continue to focus on nailing those guitar parts, which Matrianna always does seamlessly. Of course, Taylor plays the keyboard just as seamlessly. The synth parts in this single had me making the musician’s “stank face” which any band knows is the greatest compliment a musician can give! Strawberry Launch has a strong backbone with Ben on the drums and Abby on the bass. They are always in the pocket and their intuition when playing is phenomenal. There doesn’t tend to be sheet music or super formal arrangements in the indie-rock genre, making it all the more impressive that the group is able to create tracks like this using their ears, talent, and ability to work as a team. The mixing and production on Strawberry Launch tracks is always up to mainstream music industry standards. I feel so privileged whenever I get to write a review on a Strawberry Launch release. Call me hipster if you like, but when Strawberry Launch makes it big, I’ll definitely be bragging about how I wrote reviews on their music for my college music blog before they were household names!    

Ethan Crowley - Stupid in College

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream "Stupid in College" via Ethan Crowley's LnkTo page!

 

Those of you who have been around since the beginning of this blog might remember that the very first album review I ever wrote featured the music of singer-songwriter Ethan Crowley, namely that of his full-length debut LP, Drowning in a Glass of Water. Ethan's music brought a number of strengths that really appealed to me at the outset of my journey as a music journalist—namely, his down-to-earth, accessible songwriting, paired with tender & expressive vocals in a lethal singer-songwriter package that established Ethan as an accomplished & skilled performer coming off his debut. Suffice it to say that things kinda came full circle for me at MTech Invasion, where I got to watch as Ethan opened his set with "In My Dreams", the first song I'd ever heard from him. Ethan's vocals & instrumental skills were as rock-solid as ever on the live stage, and watching him perform was an excellent experience that showcased Ethan's extensive background as a live performer & artist.

Also at MTech Invasion, Ethan performed his most recent release, "Stupid in College", which premiered at the tail end of last month. The song felt like a bit of a stylistic shift for me, moving closer to the aesthetic of folk music and diverging slightly from the piano-based singer-songwriter direction that anchored many of the songs on his debut LP. Ethan even brought out a couple violinists to help him render the song in a live setting, which was really cool! Even amidst all the artists debuting new material at MTech Invasion, Ethan's performance of "Stupid in College" really stuck with me—it was the first time I'd seen him live, and it proved that he was particularly skilled at translating the intimacy of his studio works to the live stage.

 

Pictured above: Ethan Crowley, debuting an unreleased track while performing live at MTech Invasion. Photography courtesy of Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).
 

Breaking away from the stage and returning to the studio for a moment: "Stupid in College" opens on a finger-picked major key acoustic guitar riff that outlines a simple two-chord progression. Ethan's vocals enter soon after, sounding out through a slightly lo-fi vocal chain that gives his lead vocal a sort of thin, bright, mildly radio-esque timbre. Ethan's vocals here are plaintive, embracing a soft & tender performance that goes hand-in-hand with the austere and folksy vibe set by the acoustic guitar; overall, it made for a nice return to the stripped-down campfire intimacy visible on Drowning in a Glass of Water-era tracks like "Let's Run Away" and "Time Well Spent". While listening, I found myself wishing for a warmer and more natural vocal chain in order to complement the track's intimate soundscape and vibe; the lead vocal processing came out a little too crispy for my taste, but ultimately that's a matter of personal preference, and Ethan's strong vocal performance comes through nonetheless. The soundscape leaves us in pretty sparse territory until the entrance of the track's first chorus, which introduces a simple electric bass part and a vocal double that helps fill out the warmth and bottom end that the verse vocal largely eschews. The lyrics here embrace a message of straightforward romance, in which Ethan sings about the wild and sometimes-boneheaded experiences of living the life of a college student, but also about how he enjoys it nonetheless by virtue of experiencing those things alongside someone he loves. It's a simple theme, but one that Ethan executes rather well, with his evocative and sincere vocals helping to communicate the honesty and depth of his feelings for this person—a prime example of the age-old narrative adage "show, don't tell".

 

Pictured above: Ethan Crowley brings "Stupid in College" to life on the live stage at MTech Invasion. Photography courtesy of Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).
 

Coming out of the first chorus, a couple panned violin lines enter in the background, providing some pleasant counterpoint that adds some variety to the guitar line. The violins were an addition that definitely made for a bit of a curveball, but I think they were a nice touch, and brought the song in line with territory that feels distinctly closer to Nashville to me. Granted, my knowledge of country & bluegrass music is rather limited, but I was reminded a little of Allison Krauss's rendition of "Baby, Now That I've Found You", as well as a couple tracks off of Dolly Parton's Eagle When She Flies. The second verse also brought some cool sound effects and word painting; in particular, I thought it was a really cool moment when Ethan sang about "blowing up your phone", accompanied by some tastefully-used sound effects from typing & sending texts in iMessage, arranged in a loosely rhythmic fashion. I really love little touches of sound effects like that, and Ethan's use of the iMessage sounds made for a great example of recontextualizing a familiar sound to further the narrative of the song. The second verse also introduces a simple four-on-the-floor kick drum, which jacks the folksy, rustic energy up a little heading into the last leg of the track. From here, Ethan throws us two more choruses, now ornamented with some additional vocal harmony layers, plus some extra percussion. The last chorus ends on a deceptive cadence, which gives Ethan space to repeat the last line of the song one more time before it ends.

I'm glad I had almost a month to really sit with this track before I had to publish this article, because formulating my final thoughts on it took quite a while—much longer than it usually does when I'm writing about a single release. When the track first dropped at the end of March, I was actually rather thrown by Ethan's decision to pursue a more overtly folk-inspired direction. I'd long been familiar with the shades of bluegrass and American roots music that had made subtle appearances throughout Ethan's discography, but for me, "Stupid in College" marked a notable stylistic shift that nodded much more heavily to this aesthetic. At first, I wasn't sure I liked it, but I've actually found myself opening up to the new sound much more since the track first released. I'm sure my seeing Ethan do this song live at MTech Invasion played a huge part in that—watching him use his guitar and his heel shaker/foot tambourine combo in combination with his two violinists to bring this recording to life on the stage that day proved that the closeness and warmth of Ethan's studio recordings could absolutely also be conveyed by the man himself in a live setting, and that was really cool to see. Suffice it to say that the heavier leanings towards a folksy aesthetic is basically perfect for this song. With "Stupid in College", Ethan positions himself to be something of an old-fashioned, wholesome, sweetheart of a romantic: the kind of guy that would buy you flowers, take you to a nice restaurant, and kindly insist on paying for dinner. In that sense, it's perfect, and the song exhibits a lot of cohesion between its songwriting, production, and performance aesthetic that lends it a very rustic, austere flavor of romantic songwriting largely specific to Ethan. Yes, college students might be stupid, but this one is wholesome at heart, and his successful rendering of what it's like to be so stupid that it ends up becoming romantic somehow is yet another indicator of his songwriting talent and prowess as an artist. 

 

Han - Pathological (Who I Am)

Reviewed by Reggie Katz, edited by Kash Burns

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream "Pathological (Who I Am)" via the single's associated Hyperfollow link!

 

Up next, we’ll be taking a look at ‘Pathological (Who I Am)’, the latest release from our very own Alex Han! Some of you may know Alex from class, from their set at the MTech invasion festival (organized by himself and RED_E¥E), or most recently, the head writer and editor of our blog! In case you missed it, Alex Han, the writer behind Ash, revealed their identity on the MTech Instagram page just a couple of weeks ago, finally removing the mystery of who Ash is and why they are doing so much for the Music Tech community. Alex is not shy with his rigorous work ethic, organizing festivals, writing thoughtful music reviews, building electric guitars, etc. And on top of all of that, they still manage to put out a solid amount of music! On "Pathological (Who I Am)", Han tries to take a shift into a new territory of music while still retaining the elements that are unique to them. He has already seen success with this track, having earned praise in our Collegium listening sessions as well as a singing crowd at our MTech festival!

 

Pictured above: Han, also known as Ash, performing "Pathological (Who I Am)" live at the MTech Invasion festival this April. Captured by Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).

 

“Things came full circle at MTech Invasion, when I was performing this song, and I heard the crowd singing the chorus back to me, which meant that people knew the words! That was such an incredible and rewarding moment for me as an artist, and it showed me that I was capable of writing something that people could resonate with. “ –Han

We are welcomed into "Pathological (Who I Am)" with a hearty synth and Han’s lead vocal beginning a story about his journey through pathological lying and how he learned to cope with it.

“In order to achieve a 'younger' vocal sound, I recorded the vocals at a mathematically-derived slower tempo and in a lower key, and sped them up to match the established tempo & key of the track.” –Han

A clean 808 line enters the mix shortly after the song begins with an energetic drum beat befriending the bass a couple bars later. The pop-punk groove being played on the trap-sounding drums samples are reminiscent of drums you’d hear on an MGK track, although the hi-hat sound alone reminded me of the hats on Ice Spice’s latest EP. The drums become more present than they were before, along with some harsh synths and backing vocals adding to the build-up to the chorus.

 

Pictured above: Han, pictured during their set at MTech Invasion. Captured by Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).

 

“I was definitely inspired by artists like webcage & Deadbeat Girl, but I think the two biggest influences on this track specifically were probably nickwuh & Jaden Tyler, whom I was listening to a lot at the time given that I was reviewing their respective albums during that semester.” –Han

The first section of the chorus reads “I don’t know who I am/ Said I don’t know who I am/And nobody gives a damn /When I’m crying out for help.” Isn’t that so sad? Han verbalizes a relatable feeling in a way that I couldn’t say better myself!

“I struggled a lot with pathological lying as a teenager; I essentially lied as a defensive reflex all the time and I couldn't stop, and I ended up hurting a lot of people and doing a lot of things I deeply regret as a result. It took me a long time to break out of that pattern and start being truthful about who I was, not only with others, but also with myself.” –Han

 

After the chorus, the drums get a little bit of a rest, but I say a little because there are still so many different synth textures happening on top of each other that nothing about it is truly ‘little.’ After a short section with no drums, Han takes us into one final chorus and a final ending section, which is unique to the rest of the track as it differs from what we’ve heard in the song. It sounds as if any instrument heard in the track previously comes in at the end, along with some bonus ones, really building the anxious vibe that this track facilitates. The intricate use of fading and removing synths at the end to transition to the B-side song on this release ended up working really well.

 

 

Pictured above: During the middle bridge section of "Pathological (Who I Am)", Han delivers lead vocals. Captured by Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).
 

Han has a great ability to conceptualize something and put it into tangible form. Their vulnerability in their lyrics and their production is something to be admired, but after catching their set at the MTech festival and listening through their discography, I think their music is best when they strip things back a little more. The vocal processing was a little too much for my taste. I understand Han may have wanted the vocals to have the feeling of his younger self singing, but it ended up sounding like his normal voice plus Little AlterBoy on it. I also think there is a little more to be desired in the mixing department as the vocals sounded a little flat in the mix. However, the instrumental aspect of the mix sounded fantastic. The musical arrangement on this release will definitely grab your attention, but the maximalist production style is not something that usually needs to happen on most songs. I feel that in huge productions where the producer is trying to layer as many sounds as possible, the production becomes too big too fast leaving little to no room for the song to go anywhere. I think this release suffered from that a little as I was hoping for a bigger beat drop or energy shift when we got to each chorus. Of course, there is still an audience who will love and appreciate this song for what it is. And I ultimately respect Han for venturing into new styles without losing his sense of self as an artist. It’s important to experiment with music or you will never find what works best for you. It’s also important to remember that in the grand scheme of things, my opinion is not the end all be all!! If you’re creating something and it sounds good to you, that’s all that matters. I know there are plenty of people out there who would find this song to be exceptional, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

Pictured above: Han performs "Save Some Love for Me", the B-side & companion single to "Pathological (Who I Am)". Captured by Alex Ehasz (@ae_taylor_photo).

 

“I found that I really resonated with the idea of masking very dark and personal subject matter behind superficially pleasing, uptempo dance music, and I thought that it paralleled and represented the track's narrative of hiding yourself behind a facade pretty well.” –Han

I might have some criticisms, but there are plenty of aspects of this track that are great. Personally, I love when artists disguise depressing lyrics under a happy mask. The desolate lyrics documenting Han’s difficult struggles told over a joyous arrangement create the same energy as a song like ‘Nobody Gets Me’ by SZA. Even though I think the number of synth layers was a little overkill, I have to admire just how many sounds he came up with. This release featuring cold lyrics, but a warm production, has me thrilled to see what’s next in store from Han.

jolin.AA - notURtype

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream "notURtype" and check out the track's associated music video via jolin.AA's Linktree page!

 

I had the opportunity of working alongside singer & producer Jolin Tsai for the first time around a month and a half ago, when both of us fell in with the newly-formed MTech shoegaze outfit slusho during the run-up to MTech Invasion. As the two vocalists in slusho, Jolin and I ended up working together rather closely, and we ended up creating a working rapport that I felt really good about—we spent lots of time trying in vain to decipher the barely-intelligible lyrics of slowdive and My Bloody Valentine, which I felt was a really good bonding experience for us! It was during those early rehearsals that I first became familiar with Jolin's expertise as a vocalist; she brought a keening, soaring, powerful voice that made for the perfect tool with which to pierce the wall of reverb presented by everyone else in slusho. Suffice it to say that sharing the stage with her was a great honor, and I consider myself very fortunate to have had that opportunity.

 

 

Pictured above: jolin.AA (center) performing lead vocals with slusho at MTech Invasion. Also pictured, from left to right: Freddy Gerngross, Alex Jester, Jamie Walker, Aman Hanspal. Photography courtesy of Ava Joyce (@avajoycee).

"…notURtype is describing my own experience of my former crush. When one’s having a crush on someone, one always tries to present the best of themselves, and so did I. Just like an arcade game, the final goal is to get the special one’s heart. To connect this narrative better with the music production, I choose to go with a blurry, undefined music genre—a bit pop, a bit electronic, a bit retro and synthy; I tried to add FX and lofi processing on my vocals, also introducing a lot of gaming effect in the piece." –Jolin Tsai a.k.a. jolin.AA

 

Color me surprised when I heard that Jolin was releasing a new single right after MTech Invasion! This one's called "notURtype", and embraces a sort of R&B/citypop fusion that's about as far from our work with slusho as you can get. The track opens on a steady, retro, loosely-1980s drum groove anchored in a muffled kick drum and sliding electric bass notes. Jolin's vocals make their first appearance here, delivering sweet melodies through a telephonic-sounding vocal chain that sweeps out a ton of low end in favor of nasal high-end sparkle. while subtle electric guitars and synth patches outline some arpeggiated melodies over the top. I really like the sound selection during this first verse; the additional melodies added by the guitars and synths are very subtle and almost elude detection, serving to add an understated sense of depth and motion to the chord progression. Speaking of, the prechorus section brought some really nice modal interchange, as Jolin throws us a beautiful flat VII chord that sounds lovely in context amongst all the different instruments.

Not long after that, we collapse into the track's first chorus, outlined by sparkling, heavy synthesizer arpeggios over some great vocal harmonies from Jolin, driven along by the track's heavy, thumping pulse. The vocals here are wonderful, but I felt like the particular brand of vocal processing in use here prevented me from enjoying them to the fullest; the EQ curve caused us to lose so much low-mid warmth that I felt like the actual harmony notes became somewhat obscured, and I feel like we sorta lost the sense of extra scale that backing vocal harmonies typically provide. That said, Jolin's vocal work here was excellent; I just wish it had been given more space in the mix to sit front and center so we could enjoy them more easily. The track continues to move forward from here, throwing us another pre-chorus and hook with an ever-increasing sense of momentum that keeps us moving and building forward until we hit the breakdown in the last leg of the track, where everything drops out except the drums. Jolin does some loose, groovy ad-libs over the break, which was a really nice touch that I enjoyed a lot; Jolin's performance felt very reminiscent of an old-school, disco-era brand of vocal funk that she embodied perfectly, almost like a modern take on the 1970s whispery, airy vocal style a la Diana Ross. This break was definitely a super rewarding part of the track for me, especially when the drop hits once more and we drop into an almost-BROCKHAMPTON alternative R&B instrumental for a second; featuring a distorted kick, sixteenth-note hi-hats, and a steady 808-esque bass, this moment was perhaps my favorite part of the song, and it was such a cool end-of-track beat switch that it made me sad to see that we only got a few seconds of it before the track's ending. Nonetheless, it made for a super cool listen, and one that I'm sure will be on repeat in my headphones for a while!

 

"…I would label "notURtype" as an alternative piece—I want the listeners to feel a bit unfamiliar when they first listen, I want them to feel the uniqueness. I might be too much of an alternative for my crush's ideal type, and so is my music. But in the end, I want to embrace this alternativeness, this specialness. I want to show that it's your difference that makes you shine!" –Jolin Tsai a.k.a. jolin.AA

Overall, I thought "notURtype" made for a refreshing crossgenre piece that managed to successfully channel a diverse array of influences and distill them into a catchy alternative pop song that feels distinctly unique and unencumbered by genre barriers. Not quite disco, not quite R&B, and not quite citypop, Jolin pulls little tidbits from all of these genres and more in pursuit of creating something that feels uniquely her. The production speaks to the strength of this creative vision as well—Jolin's sound selection here was supreme, meshing a woozy, chest-pounding kick pulse with lots of idiosyncratic and muted drum samples to create a groove that feels both grounded and dreamlike, a cross-section furthered by her subtle, understated electric guitar work and heady synthesizer designs. I did wish for something a little different in regards to the mix, though; Jolin is an incredible vocalist, and in spite of her desire to shoot for a lo-fi vocal sound, I found myself wishing that we'd had just a little more clarity with which to appreciate the lush and expansive harmony work on this track. I feel like the current vocal chain represents an extreme of sorts, with practically all the low-mid and low end frequency content swept out of the vocal, whereas I think it might have been possible to shoot for a kind of happy medium, wherein the vocals retained some warmth while still leaning towards a lo-fi sound. Including more warmth in the vocal sound might have also helped to address the overall bias of the mix towards the high end; while our kick drum and our bass guitar do sufficiently fill out the super low end, I feel like the mix is missing something in the low-mid area specifically to help fill it out and really drive it home. Mixing nitpicks aside, though, "notURtype" made for a very strong showcase of Jolin's songwriting, production, and vocal talents, and manages to feel thoroughly unique and idiosyncratic. In that sense, Jolin succeeded in what she set out to do, and with any luck, there will be many more songs that embrace a similar uniqueness to come from her down the road!

~~~~

As always, thanks so much for tuning in! That's all we've got for you this month, but we've got some very exciting things in the pipeline coming up—namely a review of graduate collective P.H.0's Karma LP, plus an article that provides a peek behind the scenes at MTech Invasion, complete with artist interviews, photos, and videos from the event! Additionally, I'll be putting together a semester-end list of my favorite tracks from inside MTech! Stay tuned for those articles, and in any case, we'll be back in a month's time with the next issue of Singles Spotlight. Until then, stay safe & healthy, and best of luck with final exams!

-Alex "Ash" Han

EP REVIEW: Deadbeat Girl - What Will It Take?

Deadbeat Girl's debut EP What Will It Take? delivers five incisive, heart-rending tracks that will leave you longing for more.  

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Stream this project via Deadbeat Girl's Linktree page! Also available there are the links to some of the music videos associated with this project, so definitely check those out as well!

 

ALL OF US ON THE EIGHTH FLOOR come from humble beginnings, but every once in a blue moon, one MTech student surfaces from the miasmic depths of the streaming algorithm with a breakthrough song that exposes them to a wider audience for the first time—a moment which marks the beginning of a long upwards journey towards the distant prospect of fame. It's not often it happens, but it's usually quite the cause for celebration; our small community can oftentimes be quite diffuse and spread-out, but when someone does strike gold (i.e. streams), the news can fuel days' worth of excited eighth-floor chatter. Though Valentina Olson, perhaps better known under her artist moniker Deadbeat Girl, left MTech last year in favor of Gallatin, her steadily-growing online presence, visible through her constantly-expanding fanbases on Instagram and TikTok, as well as her 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of this article's publication—not to mention her surprise appearance at a Brooklyn concert playing guitar for none other than girl in red last year—has granted her a certain reverence amongst the MTech community. Ever since I arrived in MTech myself, Valentina has carried a reputation built on her proclivity for catchy, hard-hitting songwriting rendered through a uniquely anguished and raw artistic presentation—a striking combination which immediately gave her music its own distinctive stamp. So many of us student musicians exist in a perpetual state of feeling around in the dark, trying to find out precisely who we are as artists, and yet Valentina felt like a fully-realized artist from the very first time I heard her music. In a few decisive strokes, she established who she was and what she was here to do with a remarkable artistic clarity that speaks to the strength of her creative vision—one that I hoped would get a chance to come even more into focus with the release of her debut EP.

 

Preceded by the release of its lead single, "Another Day", in September of last year, What Will It Take? represents a long-awaited debut project from a truly exciting titan of an artist. Clocking in at five tracks, spanning 16 minutes and 39 seconds, What Will It Take? promises nothing more than a momentary peek into Deadbeat Girl's universe, a mere taste of an artistic tapestry which myself, alongside the 30,000 other Spotify listeners bumping this EP, have been waiting a very long time to dive into. Heading in, I hoped that the project would provide enough new material that showcases Deadbeat Girl's trademark strengths to give itself the longevity it needs to hold us over until Valentina follows it up with something new. Nevertheless, in any case, What Will It Take? presents a rock-solid collection of songs that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Deadbeat Girl absolutely has what it takes to continue to succeed, both at Gallatin and undoubtedly far beyond.

 

"I started writing [What Will It Take?] while I was in high school living in South Florida in a very Catholic, conservative hometown. A lot of my songs are about the aches and pains of teenager-hood but also the aches and pains of a queer person growing up in an unaccepting environment." –Valentina Olson a.k.a. Deadbeat Girl

 

The EP's first track, "Take Me Home", was also released as a single in January of this year, and opens the project on a decidedly indie-adjacent pop punk note. Opening on charming layers of arpeggiated guitar picking and a loosely '80s new wave drum groove that reminds me a bit of "I Melt With You" by Modern English, Valentina sings what at first glance puts up a convincing masquerade as a straightforward love song, but upon closer inspection reveals suffocating, anxious undertones that point towards themes of toxicity and emotional dependency. Valentina's vocals here are detached, veiled to an extent behind a curtain of reverb and delay that lends her vocal performance a certain obscurity. Nonetheless, Valentina delivers the lines with her trademark brand of pathos—straddling the line between apathetic disaffectedness and overwhelming passion in a way only she can pull off. The refrain of "Don't let me go, don't let me go/I love you so, I love you so" is beautiful in its austerity, and is no less catchy as a result, especially when Valentina's vocals soar over those higher passages. Backed by an almost-cutesy blend of strummed acoustic campfire chords and subtle electric guitar-based counterpoint over handclaps and tambourine, the sonic palette evokes something timeless for me, at once retro and modern, which furthers the Modern English resemblances for me. The hook does suffer a little in the mixing department, though, as the long reverb on the lead vocal tends to disproportionately accentuate sibilant sounds and smear them out over several hundred milliseconds, which sometimes causes the lead vocal to disappear a little—not a huge deal, but it started to get a little distracting on repeated listens. Nonetheless, "Take Me Home" makes for an exciting opening to the EP that introduces the listener to the unique conveyance of the blend between anxiety and romance upon which Deadbeat Girl builds her craft.

 

"…all of these songs started in my childhood bedroom using my acoustic guitar and my mini bedroom studio to create demos for each song that I would later bring to my producer in South Florida, Ferny Coipel, to perfect and polish." –Valentina Olson a.k.a. Deadbeat Girl

 

The EP's second track and second single, "She Loves Me", slows things down a little, as we get an opening of strummed acoustic guitar chords that backs a simple lead acoustic melody out of the right channel. Valentina's vocals once again provide a uniquely gripping performance, as here, she sounds like she's on the verge of tears, choking out each line with a wavering scratchiness to her voice that lends the song a certain level of bedroom-pop vulnerability that only adds to the charm of the whole thing. The first chorus brings a vocal melody that soars into the upper fourth octave over lush, layered acoustic guitar chords and the unmistakable twang of a banjo in the back of the sound field, which I thought made for a really nice addition to the song's folksy singer-songwriter vibe. These melodies never feel like static loops, and continue to evolve and undulate over the course of the song, which is something I really appreciated; in general, the dynamic yet sparse soundscape of this song was really well-managed, and little touches like the single electric piano notes and occasional percussive hits recessed far into the back corners of the stereo field always felt natural and never out-of-place. Though the track approaches five minutes in length, those minutes fly by, and the emotional trajectory provided by "She Loves Me" feels wholly earned and satisfying.

"These Walls" is a new track that opens on ominous triplet finger-picked acoustic guitar passages soaked in a claustrophobic reverb. Soon, we begin the track with a soft four-on-the-floor kick that lends the track a sense of subtle, pulsing momentum. Masked behind a dense, yet relatively short reverb, Valentina sings about the feeling of being trapped and having to constantly chase after someone. Once again, her detached vocal performance makes for a perfect parallel with the track's narrative themes of emotional turmoil and struggle, but also with the soundscape's distinctly closed-in and suffocating vibe. The guitar-based soundscape becomes occasionally punctuated by sound effects: a burst of white noise here, an 808-style clap soaked in reverb there… the overall vibe resolves into something rather desolate and bleak as a result, conveying a sort of big, empty space despite the track's sense of claustrophobia. The instrumental is packed full of cool production & arrangement tricks; acoustic guitar notes suddenly reverse and swell into themselves, synth pads seamlessly interweave themselves through the soundscape before turning tail, duplicates and chops of Valentina's vocals echo distantly like tortured wails from just beyond the horizon. I really appreciate the attention to detail that went into this instrumental; it's clear that every second was meticulously crafted, and the resultant vibe is nothing short of incredible. Straddling a sort of in-between territory indebted to singer-songwriter acoustic pop that also absorbs loose influences from ambient techno and chillwave, "These Walls" is thoroughly haunting and hair-raising, and it's genuinely unlike anything I've ever heard before. Make no mistake: this is no typical alt-rock cut. It's something else entirely, and it may have just carved itself a niche amongst one of my favorite tracks I've ever covered on this blog. Seriously—go listen to this thing. It's absolutely nuts and Valentina, her producers, and engineers deserve all the credit for creating something this uniquely striking and incredible.

"As a person who has grown up listening to all sorts of alternative music in my house, I’ve drawn inspiration from The Neighborhood, Death Cab for Cutie, girl in red, Phoebe Bridgers, Paramore, Foo Fighters, and many more alternative, rock, indie, pop trailblazers in this debut EP." –Valentina Olson a.k.a. Deadbeat Girl

 

It's hard to believe that it's been almost two years since I heard "Another Day" for the first time, and yet, when that familiar opening guitar/piano riff washed over me once again, it hit with all the energy and bombast it had greeted me with during that Collegium listening session all those months ago. How much can I say about this track that hasn't already been said? It's incredible. The atmosphere of the track remains untouchable, providing an ethereal mix of reverb-heavy acoustic elements and in-your-face hard rock in a perfectly-executed intermarriage that hammers home the track's themes of perseverance in the face of suicidal ideation to a tee, meshing influences from iDKHOW to Paramore and back again seamlessly. Valentina's soaring vocals over the crashing walls of guitars and cymbals make for a moment of unparalleled catharsis, perhaps intensified by the song's newfound context as the fourth track on the EP. Indeed, the track's final chorus, where Valentina really lets the vocals rip, hits that much harder now that we've had three other tracks prior to this point in order to build the tension. In short, "Another Day" remains just as strong as the day I first heard it, and is made perhaps even stronger in context with the rest of the EP. I truly don't think I'll ever get bored of this song, and something tells me I can keep coming back to it for weeks or months or years and still be absolutely swept away by Valentina's decisive and evocative rendering of what it's like to struggle with thoughts of suicide. It's truly a track that captures something unforgettable for me, and I do fully believe that you're actively missing out if you haven't heard it yet.

 

"These songs are a time capsule of my personal life experiences for the past two years and it’s nothing but honest and genuine. I created this project for queer people and anyone who is going through emotional turmoil to find a home in… [What Will It Take?] is my most vulnerable yet, for sure." –Valentina Olson a.k.a. Deadbeat Girl

The last track on the EP, "More - Demo", feels a bit like a bonus track to me, perhaps due to its categorization as a demo, and its notably DIY vibe as compared to the rest of the project, which feels very much like a product of the studio. In contrast, "More" opens with a distant false-start take wherein Valentina stops to ask if we're recording before continuing on, over a healthy amount of white noise and tape hiss. The track definitely feels like a demo in terms of scale, consisting solely of a single acoustic guitar, Valentina's trademark plaintive vocals, and a healthy amount of reverb. The track remains small in scale until what I assume to be the chorus section enters for the first time (with only a minute and forty-three seconds of runtime, divining song structure can be hard sometimes!), when some incredible sweeping vocal layers enter, creating some huge, lush harmonies that made for a really nice listen. Soon, though, the vocals fade away, until we're left with just the acoustic guitar, and a soft exhale from Valentina that signals the end of this project. Even so, I can only hope that "More - Demo" was included on this EP to serve as a teaser for what will eventually be a fully-completed & released track, since it bears all the hallmarks of a Deadbeat Girl track to me—the austere yet atmospheric presentation, a catchy yet heart-rending chorus, a distinctly apocalyptic yet somehow hopeful mood that feels like we're watching Valentina bare her soul. It's a shame there's only a demo here, at present, since I feel like we're looking at the skeleton of a song that could easily stack up against "Take Me Home" or "Another Day" once it's been completed. The emotional magnetism and forceful passion that for me serves as a trademark stamp of Deadbeat Girl's music is absolutely present in "More - Demo", and I hope it's not long before Valentina gives us just that - more.

 

What Will It Take? brings a long list of positives to the table during its short sixteen minutes of runtime. First and foremost, it's a resoundingly successful showcase for the songwriting talents of one Valentina Olson, who puts on a tour-de-force performance over this EP's five tracks, capturing head-over-heels romantic capitulation and spiraling anxiety in equal measure. She maintains a very high standard of quality and resolutely sticks to it over the course of the entire EP: every lyric feels like nothing less than Valentina's best, yet also manages to feel like a true and authentic expression of her inner turmoil. I think that dichotomy ultimately forms the project's biggest strength—Valentina never seems like she's straying away from being true to herself, and the consistent incisiveness of her deep-cutting lyrics reveals the strength and precision of her conception of who she is as an artist. Deadbeat Girl is unapologetically flawed, unflinchingly vulnerable, down-to-earth and human through and through, and that contributes to a hugely relatable artist persona universal enough to resonate with 30,000 people at present and untold numbers to come.

 

This EP also feels thoroughly professional in its presentation. The production, mixing, and mastering all boast a level of polish that allows the songs at the core of this thing to really come through and shine. The use of reverb to create atmosphere on this EP was also really well-done, in my opinion; it's easy to overuse reverb in pursuit of creating a unique vibe, but here, it's used tastefully, with just enough of a sense of space to further the songs' suffocating & claustrophobic nature without resulting in significant loss of clarity. Aside from the occasional minor mixing hiccup here and there, most notably the reverb tending to gravitate towards & latch onto sibilant sounds on "Take Me Home" and "Another Day", this EP sounds excellent, and thoroughly subverts the often rough-around-the-edges nature that so many debut projects tend to (inadvertently) adopt.

 

Safe to say that What Will It Take? is a juggernaut of a debut project that sets the bar extremely high for Deadbeat Girl's artistry. I do, however, have one major criticism of the project—which admittedly has as much to do with the songs that are not on the EP as with the songs that are. In total, this EP contains five songs, of which one is a demo, and three of those songs have already been released as singles—namely, "Take Me Home", "She Loves Me", and "Another Day". In the case of such a short project, these songs already having been released became something of a double-edged sword; while I did find that the sheer catharsis of "Another Day" was somewhat elevated by the three tracks that came before, I also felt that my listening experience as to the opening of this EP was damaged somewhat by the fact that "Take Me Home" and "She Loves Me" were already tracks that I had plenty of time to become familiar with. It took until "These Walls" to really get a taste of something new, and that was a shame, because I had come into this project really hoping to get a greater & more comprehensive sense of who Deadbeat Girl is as an artist. In that sense, What Will It Take? simply delivers more of the strengths we know; those of us who knew Valentina as an incisive, passionate songwriter will come out of this project feeling more affirmed in that belief, but those of us who wanted to see what else she could deliver may either have to settle for "These Walls" and "More - Demo" for the foreseeable future, or continue to resolutely wait until the next Deadbeat Girl project. Having said that, I think the lack of content on this project is indicative of Valentina's commitment to a "quality over quantity" sort of ethos. For all I know, maintaining the very high standard of quality set by the five songs that we got may very well not have been possible at all had she felt compelled to finish and include a sixth track, or a seventh. Perhaps it's better this way, and in any case, I have no choice but to have faith that whatever Valentina brings us next will satisfy that desire and keep evolving her music in new and exciting directions.

 

So in the end, I suppose the final takeaway from What Will It Take? goes something like this: This EP showcases a tight collection of five tracks, all of which are universally strong, heavy hitters of alternative & indie rock that truly could not have been written by anyone else. If you're looking for a songwriter who can cut right to the heart of what it's like to struggle with balancing love for another person with your own inner demons, then there's very few who can fulfill that role quite like Deadbeat Girl. And, if, like me, you fell in love with "Another Day" during Collegium all those months ago, then you'll definitely find something to love about this new project. But even so, the question that invariably follows all debut projects—"so what next?"—burns especially intensely here, and the familiarity of Deadbeat Girl's unique, tortured brand of alt rock only partially scratches the itch for more of her music. What Will It Take? itself thus poses the question: if not one of my favorite debut projects I've ever come across, then what will it take to get enough Deadbeat Girl? Only Valentina can answer that question, and I will wait with bated breath until she does.

 

Personal enjoyment score: 8.5 out of 10

Standout tracks: "These Walls", "Another Day"… but seriously, just take 16 minutes and listen to the whole thing. You won't regret it.

ALBUM REVIEW: Kai Banda - Days At Home

Kai Banda's Days At Home envelopes listeners in a cozy essence, melding classic jazz hip-hop with eclectic electronic soundscapes while balancing organic & digital sensibilities. 

Reviewed by Ken Tong, edited by Alex "Ash" Han

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, be sure to stream Days At Home via Kai Banda's Linktree! Album art is courtesy of @ariannebanda on Instagram.

 

"On a cozy afternoon, lounging on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee (or any other comfort-inducing prop), turning on your radio (or putting on your headphones), and letting the warm and dreamy sound fill your ear canal…” This may sound like a typical and clichéd opening line of a radio program. However, nothing describes Kai Banda's album Days At Home better than this. Just as the name suggests, this album takes you on a musical journey that allows you to have a quiet and comfortable moment amidst the hustle and bustle of work and life. No, it is not the kind of lo-fi jazzy hip-hop on the popular YouTube playlist that makes you sleepy. It is a bit more interesting than that: its punchy, quirky sound texture and uplifting synth leads will leave you feeling energized after a brief rest, and ready to tackle whatever you want to do next.

It's hard to believe that this is an album released shortly after Kai began making his own music. Kai had a typical classical music background before starting to make music—performing classical pieces such as Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu and Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G minor at concerts. After a brief exploration of GarageBand and Ableton, Kai ultimately chose to use Logic to complete his creations. Kai’s experience as a musician guides his every move as a producer, and his role as a producer in turn helps and guides his role as a musician in completing various recordings. In other words, the complementary relationship between these two roles is a major highlight of this album.

The very first piano chord of the opening track, "As Said", immediately transports the listener into the world of chillhop. And just as this expectation begins to form, a delightful surprise follows in the next second. The punchy, bright, and cleverly arranged electronic beats are accompanied by a sequence of bouncy synth lines that have been run by a sequencer. The sound of this sequence is full of surprises, as it brings the classic snappy envelope and Buchla-like low-pass gate sound of the analog synth into this genre of music, yet reduces its aggressiveness to provide a slightly mellow ear massage (and it’s in stereo!). The later section introduces a retro-flavored synth lead melody, with a playing style that demonstrates Kai's mastery of melody arrangement as an instrumentalist, adding another warm layer of sound to the song that complements the ear massage perfectly.

"Rec Room" exudes a rough, unpolished energy. It's a highly textured piece, where the overall graininess of the sound and occasional glitches sound like genuine imperfections rather than contrived, gimmicky glitch effects. This is a technique that showcases Kai's personal touch, utilizing the imperfections of the soundscape to create a natural and human feel, with a hint of machine imperfection. It's a unique approach that captures the beauty of the “perfect imperfection”, and one of Kai’s personal flavors that has been showcased in his other albums.

"On Wednesday" declares its opposition to mediocrity with its use of filter cutoff modulation, transitioning from a lower, sub-audio rate to a faster, audio rate—and it certainly lives up to this declaration. The track commences with a captivating modulation effect: at slower speeds, it evokes the nostalgic charm of an auto-wah, while the gradual acceleration of the modulation rate, soaring beyond 20 Hz, elevates the pitch of the carrier signal in a mesmerizing crescendo. The track’s answer to the question of whether low frequencies need to be in stereo is a resounding yes, as demonstrated by its ability to make it more engaging; while each individual sound in the drum kit may seem unremarkable, it is their placement within the stereo field that brings the song to life. The addition of a dreamy, bright piano sound in the latter half of the song completes the construction, making the song even more rich and revealing its true stance. Although this stance is hidden within a series of intricate sound designs, nothing is extraneous.

The following track, "Satellite," starts with a spacious pad and a simple bassline that immediately unfold across the spectrum. The pleasing background noise isn't a rough imitation of old-fashioned reel-to-reel bottom noise but rather a meticulously designed high-frequency grit that gives the song an levitative feel. The snare’s gated reverb is inconspicuous yet elegant, creating a rough cut-and-paste texture. The initial Rhodes-like melody and intertwined guitar sound create a high-quality relaxation soundtrack, but when the bell-like crisp melody enters, the texture elevates to another level. Kai scatters the pleasing attack of this crisp melody using a fantastic effect, combining tempo-sync delay, reverse, and panning in a perfectly balanced sound design.

"My process for… recording, mixing, and mastering can vary over different pieces, but I make it a point to compose my music from scratch with both live and electronic instruments. 'Cut In Line' includes live drums and bass, and I include live keyboard and synth performances in every song, rooted in my love for classical music and jazz." –Kai Banda

 

"Cut In Line" is a track that explores frequency content and phasing. Throughout the song, a misty layer covers some parts, while in other sections, shiny elements suddenly (but effortlessly) break through this mist, and everything starts to shimmer. At one point in the middle of the track, everything starts to become too bright, like when you turn up the brightness of an old TV to the maximum and everything just starts to turn white. You don't feel dazzled, but you feel that the image gradually disappears, and your consciousness becomes a bit fuzzy… The live drum recording in this song is particularly intriguing: a very slowly introduced phasing effect suddenly occupies your eardrums before you even realize its existence, making you feel a bit disoriented. At the end, the filter unexpectedly enters an unstable state, as if Kai is improvisationally turning the knob of the filter cutoff—I like his use of deliberate overstatement of the main musical ideas.

The bassline of “V Works” exudes a cozy aura with its slightly gritty, granular texture, while the repetitive, punchy drumbeat lays a solid foundation, exhibiting a refined sense of restraint. The main melody on the keyboard shines through with a lustrous synth pad, followed by an exceptionally pleasant piano melody. The distinct timbres of various bright voices emerging in succession against the backdrop of the repeated warm atmosphere, create a delightful effect. The track's entire frequency spectrum and stereo field are thoughtfully utilized, resulting in a well-structured soundscape. Following a stirring solo, the piano continues to repeat, until the synth pad rejoins, halting the piano at just the right moment, avoiding monotony. The latter half of the piano is characterized by a somber tone, culminating in a relaxed cadence of a few casual chords, conveying a sense of comfort. Overall, the composition exudes a sense of refinement and tranquility, fittingly positioned within the album's trajectory.

“Everything Else” showcases Kai's unwavering attention to detail in the artful orchestration of diverse instruments. Each melodic line, when listened to with intent, reveals delightful surprises, culminating in an organically harmonious soundscape. The main melody features an artful keyboard progression, punctuated by judiciously processed intermittent effects. Eschewing a formulaic, traditional approach, the stereo field's instrument placement more closely evokes the essence of a live performance. Post-mastering, the dynamic range of the left and right channels exhibits subtle variations: this calculated separation imbues the entire piece with an immersive quality, reflecting Kai's ambitious pursuit of a "man-made organic sound field." Consequently, it is difficult not to regard this composition as a refined example of the artful manipulation of digital panoramas in the computer music era. Perhaps as an emulation of the live band's instrumentation positions, the bass content and main keyboard placement in the stereo field of this piece have a unique experimental quality, which may be the cause of the peculiar dynamic range found in the mastering.

Evoking the distinctive style of legendary artists such as Nujabes, "Reverse Hands" instantly transports listeners back to the classic jazz hip-hop era, exuding an air of refinement, poignancy, and nostalgia that is reminiscent of these influential acts. The masterful arrangement, sense of depth, and overall sonic quality leave nothing to be desired. The melancholic piano timbre, replete with warm and intimate hammer strikes, takes center stage, while the meticulously calibrated reverb in the backdrop imparts a delicate luminescence. This piece stands as one of the most distinguished homages to the genre. The lo-fi drum kit, characterized by a faintly raspy texture, lends the composition a natural and organic ambiance. The pristine kick, subtly executed, and the comforting reverberations of the snare demonstrate an acute attention to detail. While the cymbal sound is gratifying, it could benefit from being marginally subdued. Kai's work showcases his heightened sensitivity to frequency response, achieving an impressive level of mastery. However, it is important to note that not all compositions can be pigeonholed into a frequency response template, and this is especially important in the master process. In summary, should this piece be classified as a type beat, it would undoubtedly rank as an extraordinarily well-produced and exceptional work.

In comparison to its counterparts, “New Voice” exhibits a more relaxed dynamic range, with its perceived loudness slightly diminished relative to the preceding song on the album. This distinction may arise from a unique interplay among the arrangement style, instrument placement, and mastering algorithm employed in this piece. From a production standpoint, the track seems to lack a certain depth when contrasted with the previous offering, particularly in light of the lasting impression left by the superb production of "Reverse Hands." This composition misses the warmth and full-bodied resonance of "Reverse Hands" and doesn't have the playfulness, bounciness, and unique sound design ingenuity of "As Said." Nonetheless, the melody and harmonic progression remain exceptional, with the memorable, catchy bassline serving as a standout feature. The melodic solo in the latter portion of the track is also commendable, particularly as the final solo and captivating bassline intertwine, culminating in a surprising and innovative chord deconstruction. The second half of the song, after the solo appears, is more interesting and full of lively, engaging sound design than the first half.

“DC Power” gives off a comfortable feeling. Compared to tracks such as "As Said" and "On Wednesday," which boast intriguing sound design, this track is relatively straightforward, save for a slightly surprising degraded piano tone in the middle section. Regarding harmony and melody, the piece employs a more classic, jazz hip-hop style harmonic progression, but that doesn't preclude the presence of clever nuances in its melodic aspect (for example, the bassline). The primary highlights are found in the latter part of the track, where the electric instrument and piano solos intertwine seamlessly. The filter modulation (featured in "On Wednesday") makes a delightful reappearance in this song as well. As for the track as a whole, the underlying pad and the piano’s reverb exhibits a slightly muddy quality, at times even overshadowing the dry piano sound. However, this murkiness might be intentional. I don't believe the muddy feeling detracts from the piece; instead, it imparts a gentle and reserved ambiance to the overall composition.

“Shawnah Town” begins with a simple synth bassline and hi-hat combination. Shortly thereafter, a melodic line emerges through a filter-controlled pad, setting the stage for the musical journey ahead. A rhythmic, wobbling synth line weaves its way through the entire track, its timbre evolving with the harmonic progression and sporadically showcasing organic distortion. This element serves as a pleasant surprise, compensating for the bassline's monotony to some extent. This album's exploration of filter-based timbres truly captures my admiration. When executed adeptly, this time-honored and ubiquitous technique can produce an irresistibly captivating auditory experience.  For me, this song utilizes a variety of classic tones, while the wobbling synth line and other filter modulation elements prevent the track from sounding cliché, instead imbuing it with a refreshing and revitalized feel.

Upon entering a section characterized by captivating stereo panning, the listener is immediately drawn in by an intriguing rhythmic structure of “2 Roomies”. Notably, the hi-hat rolls in the first two bars initiate at different beats, with the rhythm altering once more after the fourth bar, culminating in a seven-bar sequence. I personally enjoy this combination, as it employs a slightly complex pattern to avoid excessive repetition for the listener, adding interest while remaining simple, straightforward, and without overly complicated variations. Of course, I also quite like the timbre of this song—the organic drum kit, powerful bassline, main melody with interesting stereo panning, the subtle pad in the background, and the slow-changing high-pitched glide that appears in the latter half, all make this song captivating to listen to. In summary, this brief track, lasting just over a minute, delivers a rejuvenating listening experience in terms of deconstruction, melodic arrangement, and instrumentation, seamlessly integrating within the album's narrative: A stellar main piece is to follow.

With the preceding tracks setting the stage, "Slow Day" offers a delightful surprise, seamlessly reintroducing the relaxed, comfortable, and energetic sensations established earlier in the album. Each segment's timbre and arrangement are striking, prompting an exploration of the track’s various elements. Firstly, the bass sound stems from a classic Detroit bass pluck-style sound, reminiscent of the sound of acid bass. This is followed by gritty, punchy, and powerful drums, with the snare’s air-shaking resonance particularly standing out. Once all instruments have arrived and fully occupied the soundscape, the casual jazz melodies effortlessly traverse various tonalities in the upper register, exuding an incredibly soothing quality. Approaching the song's midpoint, the lo-fi piano chords evoke the comforting warmth of a lazy evening sun, a sensation that persists until the track’s conclusion. While the absence of an additional keyboard solo is slightly regrettable, it does not detract from the overall listening experience. "Slow Day" is an exceptionally comforting track that perfectly encapsulates the cozy, homebound essence the album aims to convey—laid-back, engaging, and never dull.

Once more, the minute-and-a-half track "Farchild" delves into captivating sonic and musical concepts. Despite the melody's simple composition, consisting solely of G, A, B♭, C, and D, these notes artfully interweave to form complex layers of rhythm and timbre. The song begins with a relatively brisk, clean-sounding synth arpeggio featuring these notes, succeeded by a more leisurely, richer saw wave-like free-running arpeggio incorporating the same notes. The steady, up-tempo drums that emerge later boast intriguing timbres, accompanied by a deep, enigmatic sound on the right—its origin as percussion, synthesizer, or something else remains uncertain, yet it remains highly appealing. I am not concerned about whether the overlapping rhythms are based on random chance or if they share any mathematical relationship; all I know is that their combination is very fitting and pleasant to the ear. Showcasing exceptional creativity and timbre, "Farchild" stands out within the album, with its duration striking the perfect balance.

Upon first listen, "Just Woke Up" captivates with its intriguing stereo field. The main melody is positioned on the right, sounding very wet, resulting in a pronounced volume disparity between the right and left channels. However, the track's percussive elements offer a compelling counterpoint. The fascinating blend of grainy, dry sounds intermingled with decidedly wet ones creates a somewhat chaotic sonic texture. While the timbre, melody, and arrangement choices have their distinct strengths, the excessive wetness and uneven volume distribution between the left and right channels may strike some listeners as peculiar. Delving deeper into the track's title, "Just Woke Up," reveals an underlying message. In my view, selecting this track as the album's conclusion is a good decision. Rather than conveying a sense of closure, it elicits feelings of rejuvenation, liberation, experimentation, and new beginnings.

It's hard for me to describe the feeling that Days at Home brings me. Of course, it is quite different from the old school classic jazz hip-hop or boom bap vibe of J Dilla, but I can hear the upbeat jazz melodies, head-nodding rhythms, and the relaxing feeling of grainy background sounds layered throughout an entire song. For me, Days at Home feels like something in between Nujabes and Flying Lotus: it has the carefully crafted, breath-taking jazz piano riffs and effective, wavering, sweet yet melancholic atmosphere of Nujabes, as well as the dreamy, heavy, rumbling, and eclectic complexity of Flying Lotus—a peculiar chemical reaction between electronic music and chillhop, a more "journey-like" music. However, in terms of musicality, functionality, and the essence of the work, Days at Home is probably closer to the soulful, mellow, groovy, and melancholic vibe of Nujabes. This is fully embodied in tracks like "Reverse Hands" and "DC Power."

In my personal opinion, Nujabes' work has a clear, transparent, and analog feel. Although Kai's album also possesses this sensation, at times, a hazy atmosphere envelops the entire soundscape. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Kai's mastery of different instrumentations lends the album a harmonious complexity. However, Nujabes’ “less is more” approach to instrumentation seems somewhat absent in this album. Furthermore, although the album’s sound quality and mixing are quite good, I can’t help but detect a “Logic Pro” vibe—it’s difficult to describe, but it’s not about Kai’s playing style or arrangements, which are genuinely natural and organic, one of his significant strengths. I’m referring to the sound texture that seems to lack coloration. In today’s world, discussing digital sound as a drawback seems out of touch. However, I believe that digital timbres can indeed convincingly emulate an analog feel, though this requires the creator to invest a considerable amount of time. Kai is fully capable of using synthesizers to create the sounds he desires, and I admire the many hidden sound designs in his music. However, some timbres still evoke the “sensation of Logic Pro”. I’m not saying this because I think there’s something inherently wrong with using these sounds in music, but I personally prefer to hear certain analog sound textures, especially in chillhop. With that being said, the mixing and mastering of this album are generally well-executed. Although I can occasionally hear exaggerated panning and dynamic imbalances, everything mostly appears where it should be, and there's hardly anything overdone.

Overall, I believe Days at Home is a resounding success. It transports me back to the world of classic jazz hip-hop while simultaneously showcasing the extraordinary sound design and experimental arrangements found in electronic music. The album possesses the soul of jazz, the mind of hip-hop, and the body of electronic music. At the same time, it bears Kai's personal touch: an organic, human feeling permeates the entire album, yet the influence of electronic music is ever-present. If you wish to experience Kai's exceptional melodic and harmonic arrangements, or are curious about how Kai skillfully combines different timbres as a producer, this album is the perfect gateway into Kai's musical world.

Personal enjoyment score: 8.5 out of 10
Standout tracks: "As Said", “Satellite”, "Cut In Line", “Reverse Hands”, “Slow Day”