For this round I asked you guys to send in a song that was by a relatively unknown artist so I could discover some hidden gems. Here are my reviews for your picks this challenge!
‘One That Got Away’ Jre777 - This reminded me a lot of the group HAIM but I won’t hold that against them because it’s not as if HAIM owns 80’s synth-pop music. This took me a little bit to get into but it’s incredibly catchy and I had lots of fun listening to it. If I had to criticize it I’d say that some of the lyrics were too rhymey.
‘Birthday Blues’ humanwebjet1 - This was a great choice. I can relate to this song with my birthday coming up next month and the feeling that time is going by too fast. When you’re young you cherish your birthdays but as you grow older it just reminds you of all that you haven’t accomplished. I like that things completely change up after the two minute mark because it makes things more interesting. The repetition of the word “time” got a bit annoying but it also shows how stressful time passing can be.
‘Boo’d Up’ Carriexoxo24xo - I think you misunderstood this challenge, although Ella Mai isn’t a household name I wouldn’t call this song a “hidden gem”. You should’ve submitted one of her lesser known songs instead. That being said, this is a great song but it doesn’t fit in with this theme.
‘I Can’t Decide’ Cullenhi - I wouldn’t listen to this again but I almost respect how chaotic it was. It’s almost as if the instrumental and vocals were from two different songs but they spliced them together. This was anything but boring.
‘Stop this Rain’ Kindred7 - I haven’t heard a K-pop song that was inspired by 2000’s rock so I’m glad I have now. You took a risk by submitting this because non-english songs don’t typically do well in this contest but you were smart to include translated lyrics so I could appreciate it more. This was a big improvement over last round so congratulations!
‘How does your girlfriend feel about it’ oswordo3 - This made me think of Olivia Rodrigo and that abcdefu song that went viral a little while back. I didn’t hate this but I wasn’t blown away because there wasn’t much new or original about it.
‘Pretty Head’ coolKat - This was a bit too mellow for me, I was waiting for it to take off so I could get more into it but it never did. I didn’t mind listening to this but I wouldn’t go rushing back to it. It’d be nice to have on in the background.
‘What Now’ Maxi1234 - This made me think of the “One That Got Away” entry from this round except it takes inspiration from synth music in the decade before. I’m sure they get plenty of ABBA comparisons but that’s definitely not a bad thing, it’s cool to see that the genre of music is coming back. I wouldn't say this is as strong as other submissions but it's a solid choice.
‘Reclaim My Name’ Thnksfrthmmrs - I got a similar feeling listening to this then I do when I listen to Kacey Musgraves, and that’s definitely a compliment. I like how chill the production is because you can really pay attention to the lyrics. In general I like songs that tell stories, especially ones about growing up. So, great choice!
First let’s begin with the good news, here are your top three for the week!
Kindred7 , Thnksfrthmmrs and humanwebjet1 ! Kindred7 I was very impressed with your choice this round, however these other two submissions resonated with me more meaning you will not be winning this challenge. Between the two of you I will be giving the win this round to humanwebjet1 . Congratulations, this is your first win during my competition. I am excited to see what you will submit going forward in my contest. Thnksfrthmmrs you are safe as well!
However... not everybody submitted a song this challenge meaning that the three of you will be moving on to the next round. Instead we will be saying goodbye to Mackey as he didn’t send in a track.
Well there you have it, we are down to the final nine! Your next challenge will be posted momentarily...
