Written by Anika Maculangan

As an entryway into her twenties, SUYEN makes her mark by releasing the single “Bente” which dwells on the awkwardness of adulthood, when it feels like you were just a teenager yesterday. The track explicates that feeling of panic and unease that often accompanies the “growing pains” that come with aging. It’s that realization that you are so old yet so young, and in that middle point is confusion in where to place yourself. In this pop-rock anthem, crammed with aurally rich instrumentation, SUYEN summarizes what it’s like to have the number 20 glazed across a Goldilocks birthday cake inscribed in frosting. The cherry on top is her already-established linkage to the grunge genre. 

Harkening back to earlier single tracks like “Sonic Tonic”, we see a lot of consistency in SUYEN’s end, as she naturally maintains a strong calibration of distortion and reverb in all of her songs. Like most of her music, “Bente” is fast-paced and brimming with energy, giving organized chaos a better frame. The song has lots of variability, in terms of fluctuation, especially in how the vocals encompass a broad range of duality. It’s like riding on a tidal wave, synonymous with what the instability of your early 20s might feel like. 

In this track, SUYEN proves that she’s ready to take the next step. And even if there are lots of unpredictabilities to consider, she braves through the risks anyway. This song is her graduation track, the one that prepares her for bigger things. It’s the wish we make before blowing the candles and hoping for the best. It’s the conviction that we’ll make it out of our 20s alive. The promise that we’ll try. 

Support the art & the artist: