Not even a month after the release of their hypnotic pop banger ‘Oxford Street’, Kid Trash has returned with a glorious new single that embraces all of the best things about 2020’s constantly shifting musical landscape.
Firstly, it must be recognised that Trash’s musical talents far exceed many of their peers. Although the production on ‘Retail Therapy’ is less dark in tone than it was on their last album Slasherrr, it’s still infused with Trash’s best qualities as a beatmaker. The (assumedly sampled) guitar is sprightly and uber-clean, remaining the centre of the track throughout its two minute runtime. When joined by pounding bass and Trash’s scorching vocal tones it becomes the song’s one traditionally melodic constant, reappearing halfway through the more minimal verse production to add some sanity to the proceedings. It really is the small details that make this song so brilliant, from the brief drum n’ bass elements that creep in before each hook to the insane vocal mixing that highlights the incredible power behind Trash’s voice without sacrificing any of its emotional potency.
The massive, poppy hooks on ‘Oxford Street’ and the grittier sound of ‘Retail Therapy’ are merely two facets of Trash’s musical identity, it seems. They have not only boldly experimented with their sound under the Kid Trash name, but throughout their career have also operated under various monikers, each seeing the artist sharpen their songwriting and production skills to the point where making songs of this quality seems almost like it must be second nature to them. More impressively, in each of these musical avenues they have paved the way for countless artists. Many of the increasingly familiar sounds that have echoed throughout both the underground and the mainstream over the last year or so can be traced back to Trash, whose influence on the ‘hyperpop’ sound cannot possibly be overstated. Trash’s music has never sounded better than this, and they deserve to be celebrated for continuously revamping their sound and constantly challenging expectations of what an artist in this lane should sound like.
Listen to the song below.
Follow Trash on Twitter here.
– Chris (@108seraph)
108 MICS 