jaylen

The vocal performance here feels honest and vulnerable, capturing the bittersweet balance of hurting and dancing through the end of a relationship or stage in life. Given that the song reflects on the breakup of the group and breakups in general, it hits an emotional note without overdoing it. I heard someone compare the performance to Four Non Blondes (in a negative sense, albeit), and sure, I can hear some influence, but to me, this track holds its own. The vocals, while expressive, never ... read more

I have a theory that producers will become more popular as "rappers" in the future because when you fundamentally understand how music works, you know exactly where a vocal fits and how to use it as an instrument rather than treating it as its own separate entity. This track feels like a step in that direction. The production is dope, especially the chord change around 1:22. The lyrics could definitely go harder to me, and a few mixing tweaks wouldn’t hurt, but overall, I can ... read more

Willow Avalon's Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell just doesn’t hit the mark for me. It’s full of every overused Southern belle country trope with barely any personality. Homewrecker has a cool lyric here and there, like “And if those walls could talk, I wish they'd tipped me off,” but the song itself? It’s been done a million times. Baby Blue is catchy and warm—probably the best on the album—but even that gets repetitive and has lackluster ... read more

MGK, you are too old for these lyrics man. Speaking of which, I get it is punk, but that doesn't excuse for poor empty handed writing. Trying to "bring punk back", is cool but this seems unnatural. However, Willow has promise. She definitely carried the track, but at times her vocals were a little too forced.