Ray BLK being in a group with MNEK called New Found Content: music press fanfiction, or reality?
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[6.38]
Katherine St Asaph: It’s nice when people genre tag songs correctly.
[6]
Scott Mildenhall: Sounds like SG Lewis (or Disclosure left on a low heat, which they already have been), and Ray BLK sounds good too. But where is the chorus? It’s little wonder the majority of Sound Of acts never reach the lofty heights the BBC present them as being able to when so few announce themselves with their most accessible work. So this will hopefully be a case of initial “market” “positioning” ahead of her actual radio successes. It’s not 2007 any more — a January-December narrative cannot be forced and may not be worth it anyway. Just put out the big single, bung a load of cash to Spotify and watch the weeks at the lower end of the top 75 roll in.
[6]
Ramzi Awn: First impressions are not to be underestimated, and Ray BLK makes a good one. “Chill Out” lives up to its impeccable beat, and by the second verse, you know exactly where the song is going. Unfortunately for the remarkably well-versed tune, there are about 20 names in one crowded hat that could deliver it better.
[6]
Micha Cavaseno: A real mess of ill-fitting pieces: the shifting synths from SG Lewis, Ray BLK’s decision to crest into a rather shrill falsetto on the chorus and the patterns on the verses. Thankfully, the bridge is a moment of real cohesion where Ray’s voice and her gifts as a songwriter come through. As far as her DURT mini-album, I still feel that the ideal single was “5050,” but there’s still certainly a lot of time and room for artistic growth.
[4]
Alfred Soto: Repeating melody lines is a time-honored method of signifying desperation, and the cloud of threatening keyboard swells adds nice tension. If the guy’s making it a big deal that she’s stepping out, Ray BLK will not let him off the hook.
[7]
Iain Mew: There’s something enjoyable about how straightforwardly “Chill Out” reverses gender role norms, with Ray BLK wanting to keep things casual and her only problem being needing to tell the guy to stop getting so emotional about it. Even better is her comprehensive approach to the topic — she runs through desire, dismissal and anger, with engaging musical shifts for each, and every one has her sounding like the inevitable winner.
[8]
Dorian Sinclair: I keep finding new things to appreciate about this song. There’s the way Ray BLK’s voice switches registers and mines different types of expression out of each. There’s the sprawling, unpredictable structure — particularly that rapid-fire last verse, which somehow manages to catch me by surprise each time I listen. And there’s the simplicity of the vamp that underpins the whole thing, allowing the song to stretch in unexpected ways without dissolving into shapelessness.
[8]
Megan Harrington: The ultra sophisticated production makes “Chill Out” sound like a middle aged swinger’s lounge on Saturn, but the song is more about those relationships that consist of a total lack of daylight, joints, and medium unsatisfying sex. The rush is to sound grown up, not to act it.
[6]