The online personality of Miya Villeno – or also known by their username and moniker Crimason – is far from their usual high speed slapstick content and Stan Tiktok phase. It’s so far to the point that the music they shill online inspired them to venture on a music career of their own. Their latest single “Enough” has been building self-hype as a pop ballad for the kids wanting to be – well, you guessed it – enough for each other. Moreover, the debut single of the 16-year old singer-songwriter has averted any risk or failed to stick out in their first attempt at songwriting. In “Enough”, it’s 4-minutes and a half of nothing but a sore thumb. Albeit a lazy hook and standard verse-chorus, Villeno doesn’t shy away from exhibiting their chops vocally; a noticeable tenor voice that’s suitable for their voice on rougher-sounding tracks. Whereas her presence is more akin to the Born Again Christian singing seminar if you’re thinking of a song that’s as uplifting as a Retreat camp cry session. “Enough” becomes more antiseptic as time passes, the sheer velocity makes the entire track unlistenable as a whole. The entirety of it is uninspiring, wealthy in clichés and one dimensionality. The emotional anchor that this track weighs is light and hollow. If you want to chase the algorithm in Tiktok, Instagram and Spotify, this track isn’t it. Support the art & the artist:
Tag: Tiktok
TRACK REVIEW: kyleaux & k1ko – Gusto Kita
Written by Elijah P. Philippine 2-step might be a pipe dream for neophytes who are born past the 2000s. But for others who’ve seen r&b delve in the corners of UK-influenced electronic music, “Gusto Kita” by 25 Hearts’ very own kyleaux & k1ko is a blessing for everyone born and adopted in the garridge and jersey hype. After inevitably yet unexpectedly earning the virality in the former’s TikTok account, the richly-textured, glitchy and suave paves the way for possible pop music writing in today’s standards. Rapper kyleaux was able to let go of typical rap structures, instantly hopping on the melodic side of writing. And with the assistance of pitch-shifting, beat switching and atmospheric production of k1ko, the duo is untouchable with this single on lock in one hundred percent accuracy. “Gusto Kita” isn’t too late in the hype with the charming vocal delivery, chameleonic production, and the visual appeal of a bubblegum pop superstar duo. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: Angelo Shinohara – sayo
Written by Elijah P. Angelo Shinohara’s TikTok account is nothing but your typical “pogi cover” singer-songwriter. Cherry picking the latest alternative in the musicsphere and earning 6-digit views day in and day out, Shinohara in the light is the cliche viral artist, but in the dark, he’s different. Enter the shoegaze/dreampop version of Angelo Shinohara: the noisier, vocal fronted and fuzz-drenched pretty face side of the singer-songwriter. The ambient slowcore to quietgaze pipeline is evident in acts like Title Fight, Whirr and Starflyer 59, but Shinohara doesn’t make himself a copycat of either of the aforementioned bands, but rather a painfully shameless second-version of his inspirations. The influences have depth, grit, and an overarching narrative between the noise. Shinohara has neither. “sayo” is touted as the viral shoegaze love song of the rainy season. Shinohara and friends are saluting to their shoegaze idols heavily, both sonically and lyrically. “sayo” is arguably the first ever shoegaze track that draws on so many influences but the result of which becomes a blank canvas of ideas for Shinohara. And as much as the track is an exploration of soundscapes for the songwriter, the sound and writing barely carried the track in its dragging 4-minute runtime. The longer “sayo” lasts, the more it proves to be a one-dimensional hugot track amplified by muffled distortion. In repeated listens, the track magnifies in substandard production textures. “sayo” and its perfumed pedalboard doesn’t make it any better and neither does Angelo’s Greg Gonzales-esque voice and chiseled jawline doesn’t make this any more tolerable. Angelo Shinohara is a walking-singing example of a bedroom artist releasing a demo that has multiple errors than the average trials of a bedroom-shoegaze artist. Support the art & the artist: