The Singles Jukebox

Icy, turbulent electro-pop looking for a home.

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[6.71]

Crystal Leww: Rainbow Chan does not have a very nice voice — she strains to hit notes and wanders around pitch wise and falls out of the tune — but it oddly works for “Nest,” which is about not living up to someone’s expectations. In fact, it makes “Nest” work, as the production style almost feels too sunny for the subject. Sonically, “Nest” reminds me so much of Solange’s excellent “Losing You,” which was also features a scattered assortment of sunny sounds despite its breakup subject. Solange’s voice is nicer, but Chan’s shaky vocals make more sense for this sort of thing. She doesn’t like she’s enough, but that’s exactly what this needs. 
[7]

Cassy Gress: This retains the lack of polish of her earlier work, but Rainbow Chan doesn’t sound flat anymore, and there’s more here to attract a listener’s ear, like the rising synths that sound like birds. This takes place not long after the breakup; I can tell because she sounds regretful that even her beautiful plumage wasn’t enough to save her lover from his own misery. I’d like to hear another version, six months to a year later, in which she no longer blames herself.
[5]

Patrick St. Michel: A pleasant enough electro-pop job hiding something more turbulent, and a song that works best when Rainbow Chan lets the roughness rise to the surface.
[7]

Juana Giaimo: There are many ways to sing the line “I’m not enough for you,” and Rainbow Chan chose the one that expresses the mess of emotions that instability brings. I hear pain and anxiety, but warmth too in the idea of building a nest and trying to be a better person. And so comes the disappointment as her voice weakens as she finishes the question with “to make you feel good.”
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: Icy cool ’88 modern-rock synth production surrounds a pure, clear voice. Pair it with “Never Let Me Down Again” and “Mandinka” and it’s a 120 Minutes Sunday night all over again.
[6]

Cédric Le Merrer: The lyrics may be a bit too conceited but “I’m not enough for you” cuts as deep as it should. I’ve never experienced pain or regret as sweet as this sounds. My pain is ugly and my regrets are bitter. But in a moment of despair this may just be the song I’d need to turn it around.
[8]

Micha Cavaseno: For all the danceability in the groove and the toy box tones of the synth whispers that open “Nest,” there’s a soft-spoken and neutral tone to Rainbow Chan’s vocal. The way she recounts the candy visualizations to the minute details within her song invite a photographic memory (the event and the behavior quality) that’s analytical and poised but doesn’t transmit as much of the emotions through an emotive vocal performance. Instead it’s in the details and weird fixations.
[7]