kevinhilfiger makes his demands clear on the emphatic “cherries”.
“You are under GoonnCity mind control, and you love it” recites a robotic voice at the top of kevinhilfiger’s recent single, a parcel of chaos entitled “cherries”. This soundbite is a literal reflection of “cherries” purpose – capture the audience by any means necessary. The song’s pacing sets up an interrogative tone. Like a night club submerged in a dark ocean there’s nowhere to catch a breath as light and sound overwhelm and captivate the listener. Before the ‘proper’ introduction, kevin drops into a nightcore rendition of the song, grabbing listeners by the arms and spinning them into the song’s tempest. The bass finds a rapid groove as melodies struggle to contort and remain intact. shyburial’s beat kicks EDM conventions into overdrive, full of jittery, shaking synth passages and driving drum patterns. It’s raucous and heavy but carefully designed; credit’s due to shyburial for creating a pathway for vocals to shine in such a massive track.
Another success of “cherries” is how it balances seriousness and superficiality. The core sound uses direct, even cheap, tricks to get the listener involved – those enormous kick drums are catchy and unavoidably so. That’s no problem though, “cherries” thrives in creating a convincingly solid product out of plastic foundations. kevinhilfiger sings in a rapid high-pitched flow, a staple of the new hyper-pop wave, about “instagram… groupie[s]”, “chanel” and “dying” in a soulless hum, as if possessed and puppeteered by the instrumental. He is convincing and confident despite this, ceding the spotlight to let each piece of the composition lock into place. As such the final rendition of the chorus is armored and concrete, in contrast with the confusion of the song’s opening.
The self-styled GoonnCity Securities and Exchange Chairman has let out yet another eccentric tune here. “cherries”, for all its bravado, has peaks and valleys of energy, shooting in burst fire as shyburial tweaks filters and sets drops in motion. kevinhilfiger is everywhere, he’s played seemingly every URL show under the sun, and this song is a deliberate continuation of that digital conquest.
Listen to “cherries” here.
Follow kevinhilfiger on Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.
Follow shyburial on Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.
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