Overall Impression: First off, the title of this track is excellent; „Distance Can Be a Part of Love (Lockdown Single Edition).“ In 2021, we all know exactly what S.Q.I.D. is talking about! There is a great piano and vocal hook right off the bat, though the intro is a bit long and the next section, where an icy, interesting piano trill comes in, is really nice, and should happen sooner to hook the listener in. The piano develops into a snaking, metallic element that evokes the solitude and spaciousness of shutdown. This song is like an ambient poem I could see people dancing to in the privacy of their own homes, gazing into their phone at a dating app, or a FaceTime conversation, or a flirtatious message thread.
I think the genre is identified correctly, though in order to really fit the dance/electronica format, there should be a bit more attention paid to the form: intro, build up, drop, build again, out. As it is, the song goes through many sections of drop/build without an increase so that it feels like the same two sections repeating over and over. If you really want to make people dance, or get into their inner feelings, you want the dance part (the uptempo part) to be the „bookend“ of the drop, to build suspense and make the return of the beat more exciting. You already have a second, more rhythmically intense build around 2:15, so sculpt the form around returning to that after one drop, rather than several. Even if you’re going for more of the ambient, chill sound, you still want the form to help evoke emotional intensity.
Strongest Point(s):The vocal and piano work together as a great hook, and when the piano line jumps up an octave and develops into a snaking, metallic line it is really evocative of the solitude and spaciousness of shutdown. This song is like an ambient poem I could see people dancing to in the privacy of their own homes, gazing into their phone at a dating app, or a FaceTime conversation, or a flirtatious message thread.
Area(s) of Improvement:Pay attention to form and building variety and intensity with the form. The intro could be cut in half, or even down to only 4 bars. I’m not 100% clear what the lyrics are, but in this genre the vocals don’t necessarily have to be discernible as words–as long as you process them enough to become a totally different element, so we’re not being taken out of the energy of the song by trying to understand what words they might be. It could be run through even just one more effect to disguise the words that much more so we just hear it as a musical element. (Or, the alternate would be to go in the opposite direction and make them an actual vocal hook that is easier to discern.)
Target Audience Appeal:I think your target audience is in the right direction, but I would listen to some of those acts and pay attention to the form they use in their songs.
Artist target suggestions:dolltr!ck, Drum and Lace, Rachel K. Collier, Lling Lling.
About the Reviewer:Kela Parker is a songwriter, producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, topliner, and cat lover who lives in Los Angeles. A lifelong musician, she has toured the U.S. performing her genre-bending songs and her three albums and various singles have been hailed for her „prepossessing voice“and distinct sound. She completed her MFA in Music Composition in 2016 from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has contributed music reviews and editorials to Eleven Magazine PDX, Marmoset Music, Piano! Push! Play! and Classical Revolution PDX. Kela hasn’t met a type of music she doesn’t like.
S.Q.I.D. 