Written by Elijah P. reon is a duo consisting of songwriters Reanne and Noah hailing from Leyte, Eastern Visayas. They are the type of duo who are waiting to shine out from the dark. Though they’re not there yet, at least for now. But they’ve at least shown materially that they’re ready to slide out of that darkness, shimmering across the chamber folk spectrum at lightspeed. In “Sentiments”, their 6-track EP, peaks variously in emotional levels of relief, catharsis, and infatuation. The tracks speak softly, in volumes so tender that it speaks more character than other har-har acts that are coming out today. Their choices for production are muted and intimate, mostly a balance of both: pianos streaming across the male and female harmonies, drum machines lingering as a unique backbone to their palette. There’s a showcase of experimentalism and polarity between the tracks, presenting a Side A and Side B of their skills as songwriters and producers. In “Is It Too Much Ask”, reon challenge themselves in narrative-writing via a lengthy 5-minute-and-a-half length. As it sways in midtempo, the duo slowly but surely enlivens the atmosphere adjacent to their singing. Shortly after the track, they never compromised their delightful sound. “Back To The Times” – arguably the best track in the entire project – aspires to become a tranquil version of the templated semi-abrasive contemporary dream pop sound. The beat compliments the hidden synths while the reverb acts as a blanket for the entirety of the track. Other than that, the string section in “Sentiments” and the acoustic guitar in “A Place I Could Call Home” are examples of avoiding a sterile sound. It feels and looks cinematic; better than watching mural-sized paint dry. Although, the project could’ve been more dynamic: instrumentations that evoke a certain feeling or conflict feels missing or better yet underdeveloped. Both reon have large amounts of potential to be thrown on the wall, they haven’t checked to see what sticks because of the concealed production style that easily hides their weaknesses as a duo. Their imagination for longing is restrained through the lyric-writing, which is underwhelming in some parts, or rather second-rate in repeated listens. Its warm sonics at some point could feel one-note throughout “Sentiments”, but at the very least both Noah and Reanne’s performances glisten in the vocal booth. Overall, reon is a duo that’s packed with potential. They got their cards right and as long as they play it right in the long run, they’ll yield great results. Support the art & the artist:
Category: EPs / MIXTAPES
MIXTAPE REVIEW: Kennedy Music – From The Top Bunk
The last time we’ve talked about Raushaus, they released their artist showcase last year. Those cuts showed a lot of potential in terms of style clashing and adopting the new styles of the western rap hemisphere. We chose to go inside the RausHaus, and looking inside those vibrant rooms we have a bunch of young lads making songs at the upper part of their bunk beds. The lads in question: Kennedy, a group of young up-and-comers. Recently, they’re on the uptrend in their circles for their newest mixtape titled “From The Top Bunk”. Out in the street, they run around with free verses while basking in the sun, waiting for the day to pass as their breezy choruses echo past the light posts. Their frequent frolicking in the ‘Best Boyband Since One Direction’ block may be at their arm’s reach. However, Kennedy liberating demeanor in ‘From The Top Bunk’ may have worn out their own welcome. Template after template, Kennedy’s group dynamics are executed with impressive results but the afterthoughts linger to a replay of the Saturation trilogy after a first listen or two. The lead single “m.i.a” is brimming with flows that are reminiscent in 99 Neighbor tracks and the nimblest verses before hitting the second half. Although, the singy-songy bridges aren’t on par with the skilled flows. The first two tracks, “s.y.m” and “tekken 6”, are nothing but style borrowing from one verse after the other. With every detail in the production paying good homage to BH’s producer team, the shelf life of these store-bought copycats expose the group’s longevity. With these influences being worn on their sleeves like a tight jumpsuit, groups like Kennedy are disillusioned with the cursed chemistry in boybands today that are prone to being impermanent footprints of a current generation. Similar to how Westlife was to Backstreet Boys or how Greta Van Fleet is to Led Zeppelin. These influences come at a cost and their identity as a group is at stake. Kennedy makes little to no distinction in being a boyband in the 2020s. However, their cloning doesn’t distort their songcraft entirely. There’s actual merit behind the blue makeup, faux puberty, and youthful stills. Whilst replicating the structure of the aforementioned boyband, tracks like “espana” and “always” actually pack a couple punches in both their hook writing and bar spitting. The former showed the group’s actual skill in multisyllabic and flow practices while the latter naturally flows so well with the hook, even the guitar lines complement the singing. Overall, ‘From the Top Bunk’ shows a lot of promise in the group. But that promise won’t be on a chokehold when the boys realize that they can be greater than their predecessors. This EP is a testament for their future releases, hopefully becoming forerunners of a generation that is about to be written in the midst of a lockdown. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: