For Colarado-born singer DeEtta Jain, ‘Bronco’ is a natural stylistic evolution that will surely net her many new fans.
‘Bronco’’s exterior is initially hard to decipher. Its cover art is highly ambiguous, vaguely sensual while also appearing cold and mechanical. As soon as Jain begins to sing, however, the track’s emotional platitudes cascade freely. Although slightly more polished in sound to her last drop, the not even a month old ‘Neck Sprain’, this new effort continues to eschew glossy pop and R&B tropes for gorgeous, romantic-sounding instrumental landscapes. Beginning in a soft and whispery manner, Jain’s sultry vocals are also intensely sharp and attention-grabbing (think Kali Uchis meets Jorja Smith), gliding gracefully as they do over joyous, quirky production that vaguely flirts with indie and baroque pop.
‘Bronco’ is such a vividly lyrical song that it wouldn’t be difficult to conjure a mental image of the emotions stirred by the singer’s words: ‘Be there just in time, never rest these eyes no. I’ll be the bronco when the night goes down, head honcho when the night comes’, but luckily you don’t have to as Jain has seen fit to release an accompanying music video that goes to great lengths to expand upon the track’s theme of dismantling traditional gender roles and celebrating the power of being a woman. Typically masculine imagery like the titular horse are used throughout the visual, often in conjunction (or juxtaposition, depending on your interpretation of the song’s feminist message) with Jain’s powerful female energy. The intent of the use of a mysterious male figure is less easily decipherable, but the closing scene during which the artist burns a headless mannequin before striding triumphantly into the distance (shedding her clothes in the process) is pretty cut and dry in its symbolism.
Jain’s most powerful lyrics come near the end of the song, mirroring the act of catharsis that comes from the burning of a masculine figurine. ‘This is ugly and it’s nothing to me, I am ten feet tall’. Anyone well versed in feminist writing will understand the implications of a woman standing above her male competitors, unleashing her inner strength in the process. I can’t say for certain that this was the message that Jain intended to convey with ‘Bronco’, but I can say that as a song it is absolutely her most well-defined and lovingly crafted.
Listen to ‘Bronco’ here.
Watch the music video here.
Follow DeEtta on Twitter.
– Chris (@108seraph)
108MICS 