Last week, we celebrated the latest songs from the canon of Made In Singapore music to reach the ether. Now, we dig deeper into our national anthems with a critical eye. Read our review of the latest songs by Hauste, Richard Jansen, Zuo En, Micki Jayy, Danzz and CLT.
Hauste - ‘happy’
Hauste knows their way around music, that’s for sure. The post-rock trio shows a deft hand with their couple instrumental interplay on ‘happy’, laying bare their technical prowess while seeking to constantly stretch the boundaries of the sound they’ve established for themselves. Their latest single sees a balanced vortex of sounds, inspiring a steady, refreshing rush of optimism, and serves as tangible proof that music can breathe emotions into life.
Richard Jansen - ‘PURE’
“I done switched lanes so I turned the tables”: Richard Jansen’s latest single is one with no remorse or doubt - it’s a bold manifesto undercut by Jansen’s nasal spit-fire delivery. ‘PURE’ sounds angry, but it’s endowed with a sense of power and control without ever being overwrought, thanks to its consistent undercurrent of defined self-awareness. Anger can be a masterstroke, and Jensen gives what is a loud, messy abstraction shape here.
Zuo En - ‘什么样What Kind Of’
Zuo En is a pleasant surprise with her pristine vocals - there’s a quality to her voice that makes it especially suited to upbeat tunes such as ‘什么样What Kind Of’. It makes for a vibrant soundscape, and it’s an effortlessly carefree and impish sort of vibe that she pulls off here, and it’s vaguely reminiscent of Sue Su, with all its hearty playfulness. “If you feel like my personality is difficult to embrace, sorry, that’s not my fault at all” - it’s this occasional streak of pithy expression that blooms in the midst of all the quirkiness and makes this a song you find yourself unconsciously returning to.
Micki Jayy - ‘Honey’
Micki Jayy’s songs are an incredible patent presence in any playlist, fluid and gentle in all its minimalist goodness. She exudes a tempered measure of soul in ‘Honey’, and everything from her voice to the instrumentals flow and fit perfectly with each other. It’s not a loud piece, but Jayy has never been known for that - instead, she draws you in with her emphatic impressions and makes you want to stay.
Danzz - ‘Hold Me’
Danzz presents an endless loop of emotions in ‘Hold Me’, but the production distracts at times; indeed, it is during the quiet pauses where her voice is allowed to take control, arresting and uncontained in its brief five-second stripped utterance, that the song makes its intentions the clearest. Her latest track is the sonic culmination of every love song out there, tender and mildly melancholic, and that’s what makes it so compelling.
CLT - ‘Valentina’
CLT is vaguely new on the scene, but he has a talent for exposition and translating all that into an an accessible soundscape. His sing-rap flow in ‘Valentina’ runs unbroken, effortless and almost graceful in the way he crosses from each word to the next. The production makes for an easy listen, accentuating the breezy, tongue-in-cheek nature of this new track, and it speaks volumes of the potential he has.
