The Singles Jukebox

Wearing thin for some of us…

[Video]
[4.33]

Samson Savill de Jong: If KSI’s name wasn’t on this song, I’d have no idea he was involved in it at all. For someone who came up through YouTube, which is all about having a personality, he’s got absolutely no presence in his music at all. Polo G’s verse is in and out faster than a particularly hot curry (though he at least is distinctive) so the song is mostly carried by YUNGBLUD, which is to exaggerate their contribution. KSI is clearly invested in his music career, but nobody sounds invested in this song.
[3]

Will Adams: Christ, Jacob was right. YUNGBLUD is terribly ill-suited to Levine-style “pity me” crooning, but at least he’s put in some effort. KSI and Polo G do little, relying on the song’s concept, a ham-handed reach for “Circles”‘ crossover success and The Weeknd’s overall success. Is this really what the synthwave revival is going to sound like? Somewhere, The Midnight weep.
[3]

Nortey Dowuona: KSI is great on video. He’s great at finding these solid disco bops for the great Polo G to croon over. The chomping drums and sandy bass — weighed down by the flat Family Gets Trapped In Old ’80s MTV Video sound and skated on by YUNGBLUD — are pretty great too, but… where’s KSI?
[6]

John S. Quinn-Puerta: KSI’s vocals are the weakest part of this passable synthwave pastiche, with the features outshining him by far, not least because of the filter and delay flattening his voice compared to the dynamics of the synths and the constantly in the pocket bass. KSI’s ad-libs feel out of place in YUNGBLUD’s chorus, the high point of the track, seemingly designed for packed house sing-alongs. 
[6]

Tobi Tella: The kind of song that feels life-changing drunk in a loud room, and leaves you scratching your head when you look up the artists the next day. Is it shameless cheesy montage music? Sure, but sometimes emo warbling over a meaningless pop chorus is all you need!
[6]

Alfred Soto: I like the confident thud of its rhythm track; it’s the vocals and vocal melody, as usual, that deflate its considerable buoyance. The Drake/Weeknd influence continues unabated on pop recorded by male acts: self-pity without end, whine without relief.
[5]

Ian Mathers: They should have just given the whole thing to Polo G (the only one here with the energy to do anything that stands up to the soporific, generic production). And please can we keep human Chucky-doll-styled-like-a-Bratz-doll (except without the charm or personality) YUNGBLUD away from hooks? He manifestly cannot handle them.
[3]

Taylor Alatorre: This is lowest common denominator music — not in the sense that it’s unforgivably bad, but in the sense that a song with this cast of artists should be much weirder. It seems the entire collaboration was written around YUNGBLUD’s “DeLonge covers The Weeknd on Triple J” chorus, resulting in verses with no real independent existence, no quirks or lyrical novelties to grab onto. Polo G might’ve bumped this up by offering a different perspective on youthful alienation, but instead he’s given 20 seconds to worship at the altar of a flat and unchanging Mood.
[4]

Iain Mew: They declare against bad energy, but after the initial synthetic puff of the chorus there is no development of any kind of energy. Mood, as they say.
[3]