Simón just released their track ‘CAVE,’ and for this occasion, here’s an exploration of it with 3 other tracks that use strings as a building block in their sounds, acoustic and electronic!
Simón – CAVE
‘CAVE’ utilizes gorgeous sonics and string-built atmosphere to deliver a full indie-pop sound with a heartfelt sound. The full-band sound seems to float around in space, with a great blend of buzzy bass and crisp guitars before synths cut in to fill things out and pick up the pace. The vocals shift between a soft tone, powerful belts, and some hip-hop atmosphere. And the drums pull in a trap influence. This track transcends genre, and the mix and production benefit the way that it evolves over time. Lyrically, this track gets into a message of loss and yearning post-breakup. The poeticism captures the feeling of wishing one well but not wanting them back.
Janeuary – Untie Me
‘Untie Me’ is here to wrap listeners in a chilling beauty. An intro of strings and piano immediately cuts in to pull listeners into the beauty. Then, as things build, it gets cinematic, the strings reverberating in the air. There’s also an organ dashed into the orchestrated sound, which fills up the deeper tones well. The vocals in this track have a mesh of sound that feels so full but delivers a soft emotional jab. This track produces goosebumps with its sound alone, and the lyricism continues this feeling. Lyrically, it tackles the concept of grief and being stuck in feelings of lost time. This track is haunting, but the way that it flows breathes so much life into it.
Ava Valianti – Distant
‘Distant’ uses acoustic beauty and simple percussion as the backing of raw vocals that deliver a smooth flow with great bends and flows at the start. But, as things move along, the sound takes more of an electronic instrumental swing. There’s a lot of emotion in the vocals, as they hold the primary space in the mix at times, however, they don’t overpower the instrumentation. Additionally, the mix itself is dynamic, and certain sounds float around in the stereo to give a lively nature to things. Lyrically, this track is about growing up as a separation builds between young friends. It’s a track about reminiscing and letting go at the same time.
Ajaye – Never Settle Down
‘Never Settle Down’ captures a raw acoustic beauty with warm strings and smooth vocals. There’s a lot of emotional depth in the musicianship alone, and the use of all-natural instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous. Two guitars provide a gorgeous strum, fingerpicking, and bends. Ajaye’s voice in this track flows beautifully, and there’s a bit of a country twang to it as it delivers a full, warm buzz much like the guitars. The lyricism captures a relationship so close that two hearts travel together. It comes from the voice of someone deeply in love, but rather than settling down, they want to live an adventurous life with another.
Written by Sage Plapp
Cover image by Ruslan Alekso
