INDEPENDENT SONG RELEASE: Jay Hype, “Trending Topic”

There’s a movie being played, but its projector struggles to show it. An underwater piano warbles along to a movie’s soundtrack. That’s how Jay Hype’s song “Trending Topic” starts. It’s a haunting intro.

When Ms. Hype’s vocals come in, the song snaps into focus. It’s actually not a scary a song at all. She sounds happy, like someone who knows everything she wants, like exactly everything. Twenty two-year old’s shouldn’t sound so knowledgeable.

There’s a trance-y hypno-beat layered over a distant female chorus. Ms. Hype raps fast, but remains in-step somehow with the slower beat. She’s addressing a person she has just laid eyes on, but doesn’t mind telling them how she feels about them pretty much immediately.

“Got me changing all my plans / Got me feeling like a fan / Okay, I’m just talking shit now, all right?”

Her coyness is adorable. She’s basically portraying the perfect girlfriend: “Tell me what’s bothering you, baby / Tell me what you’re trying to do / Let me know you can handle it / And if you can’t, baby, that’s cool, too / Because I’m just trying to keep it cool with you…”

Which is what life is about really. Being cool.

Though maybe not all the time: “I want to put it on you,” she sings. “I know you want to put it on me, too / So stop worrying about them bitches / Right now I’m here with you.”

So you can have anything you want, but you better not steal it from this girl. That’s cool, too.

In social media terms, a “trending topic” is a subject that experiences a temporary surge in popularity on one or more online platforms. For Ms. Hype, a trending topic is whatever happens in the moment, whatever pops inside her head.

I wish there were more hip hop songs like this.

Like this article? Please comment and share!

Comments

INDEPENDENT EP RELEASE: CarnyMusic, “CarnyMusic”

Mike Carnahan’s “CarnyMusic” is a solo project from the lead singer of The Green Door, which also happens to be the name of a cannabis store in San Francisco, Carnahan’s hometown. Not sure why I’m pointing this out, except that it just seems to fit. The Green Door are one of those trippy, Cali groove bands, same as Swell or even The Grateful Dead, whose tunes go best with bong hits. I love heady music, so I’m excited to hear Carnahan’s new EP, expecting the same sonic experimentation and strong lyrics.
The release begins with the sad acoustic number “Riptide,” which lets me know right away this going to be a more mournful and contemplative endeavor from what Carnahan has released previously. “It’s hard to stay long,” he sings, “when I’m just hanging on.” Uh-oh, what happened? However, the slow-strummed acoustic guitar does make a nice compliment to Carnahan’s sometimes unsteady voice.
The folk feeling continues with “Beetle in the Sand,” my favorite. It's about wanting protection f…

INDEPENDENT SONG RELEASE: Elise Hayes, “Giving Up”

“You never wanted me to get that tattoo,” sings Nashville recording artist Elise Hayes. “I’m going to get that tattoo.”
This the start to her new single “Giving Up,” (co-written with Johnny Mo) which is about not giving up, an ode to post-relationship defiance. There is freedom in being your own person again, even if you were the one dumped.
The music itself is a tapestry of sorts: sonic styles patchworked together into a compact yet pleasing mix. Pounding drums and sitar give way to softer guitar, then back to drums, which sometimes beat rapidly as a door knock. A wake up call. The song often stops and starts as if her thoughts are coming to her in jagged fits as she’s singing them.
“You never wanted me to have that haircut / Well, now I do…”
It’s a hard style to pull off but Hayes does it effortlessly. She is a strong singer/songwriter, doubtlessly helped in her confidence from being featured in TV shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” MTV’s “Siesta Key,” and others She has also written s…

INDEPENDENT SONG RELEASE: Ethos, “V: Parents”

Ethos is the stage name for Alex Hlavna, a 19-year veteran of the Cleveland, Ohio music scene where he played guitar, bass, and drums on numerous recordings. He has now released his own song entitled “V: Parents” from his new album Ten Commandments. The V is the Roman numeral for 5, as in the 5th Commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother.”

Each track on the album is titled this way, named after a commandment. Is this some type of “religious rap” or is Ethos being metaphoric? The actual definition of “ethos” is “the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.” Judging from such a moniker and from statements he’s made in interviews, it seems his goal is more about making observations, rather than instructing us that “thou shalt not whatever.” It’s a more provocative approach.

The song is a funk-bassline over an electronic beat and soft synths. Meanwhile Ethos’ voice is anything but soft as he raps about honoring your parent, yet…

Tangleheads: Independent Music Reviews from New York

Search This Blog