Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.
“Persuasion” — Bryson Tiller ft. Victoria Monét ★★★☆☆
This track comes on a 19 song, artist-titled album, “Bryson Tiller.” His fourth studio album features a variety of different sounds of R&B, with each song having a unique feel. The one that stood out to me the most was “Persuasion,” featuring Grammy Award winning artist Victoria Monét. My favorite aspect of this song is the vocals from both Monét and Tiller. The unique, multi-layered lyrics from Monét flow throughout the song, while Tillerś vocals switch between punchy, rap-like and slow/melodic. I enjoyed how the rest of the aspects of the song don’t overpower the lyrics. The vocals provide most of the melody, and the rest of the song supports that well. I really like the production of this song, as everything blends together really smoothly, and it’s easy to tell that the producers didn’t forget about the little details. The overall vibe of this song is very laid back, and the chorus and verses compliment each other well. I really like the way that each part of the song feels both similar and different, with Tiller rapping/singing with different flows each verse, keeping the song fresh throughout. The one thing I don’t love about this song is how short it is. The song is less than three minutes long, and I think that kind of limits the relistening capabilities. While this song stays fresh throughout, I wouldn’t mind some sort of switch in the melody/beat of the song, which is something I usually enjoy. Overall, I liked this song, but the short length of it does take away from the score, and the mixing of Monéts vocals does get a bit repetitive, so I’m not sure if I’ll add it to any of my playlists.
“Drunk In My Mind” — Benson Boone ★★★★☆
Benson Boone is an up-and-coming artist from a small town in Washington, whose musical career first hit the big stage on popular TV show “American Idol” in 2021. Boone left the show early to pursue his own music, and has since released many singles and EPs, but the song I selected comes from his first full album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades.” The album features some re-releases of previous singles, but a new song on the album that I liked was “Drunk In My Mind.” I really enjoyed listening to this track, as it features both acoustic and electric guitar, as well as some great piano, and some heavy drums. The use of these instruments really make the song a fun one to listen to, as well as boosting the impact of the meaning behind this song. The acoustic guitar works really well in the quieter verses, and the electric guitar and drums really take full effect during the chorus. My favorite aspect of this song is the vocals. With an already great combination of instruments, the vocals really take this song to the next level. Boone’s voice creates another layer of depth in this track, and the lyrics have some great depth as well. A line from the chorus goes “After I tasted your wine, You had me drunk in my mind. But I shoulda told ya, I’m gettin’ sober, even if I said that you felt so good at the time.” This song is somewhat of a love song, reflecting on a past relationship that didn’t seem to go great. While the lyrics have some deeper meaning, my favorite part of this track is just the overall sound of it. I really like the production, and how there are different things you can hear if you listen closely. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this song, and will most definitely listen again.
“Known By None” — Medium Build ★★★★☆
Medium Build, or Nick Carpenter, is a solo country/pop artist from Anchorage, Alaska, and has recently released his first album with a major record label, simply called “Country.” The song I liked most off of this album was “Known By None.” This song is kept going by a continuous acoustic guitar that strums throughout the song, as well as a steady drum track that keeps the song grounded. My favorite part about the sound of this track is the simplicity. This lack of complexity makes every aspect of the song a lot more important, and allows for Carpenter’s vocals to take control of the track. This is another part of the song that I loved. The emotion in the song is for the most part solely guided by the vocals — with Carpenter’s vocals varying in volume and intensity, and a very unique chord progression throughout the song, this is a very interesting and fulfilling listen. Another interesting aspect of the song is the lyrics. This piece is poking at the normality of drinking — the lyrics saying that someone is ‘known by none’ is like saying that people only know them when they’re drinking. A lyric from the song says, “Look around you, life is clear that you’re known by none, moving with someone you meet when you’re drunk at a party.” This is saying that people have different personalities when they are drinking, and that their real self is ‘known by none.’ Overall, this song has a lot of enjoyable aspects, and it is certainly a song I can see myself adding to one of my playlists and listening to again.
