The Singles Jukebox

Suggested by Rozanna, here’s some quiet storm that some of us feel is more of a light drizzle (sorry)…

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[5.57]

Rozanna Latiff: The smoky, late night R&B production and her Sade-esque vocals might recall the mid-’90s, but the subject matter is all too contemporary: the date who’s paying more attention to their phone than the narrator, who in turn is just trying to make the best out of an awkward situation. “I had a really, really, really, really, really good time” listening to this.
[8]

Kylo Nocom: Downtempo Darkchild aimed at the Internet-poisoned. Somehow better than its “’cause you’re always on ya damn PHONE” premise suggests, mostly for Erika’s hushed vocals being charming in the exact way Clairo’s voice is, but Essentials has songs with more content than just vibes.
[6]

Will Adams: “Good Time” makes smart choices that keep it from being the finger-wagging “put your phone down” screed we saw from Stefflon Don earlier this year; the lush arrangement of glassy synths, puffed drum machine and spoken bits of how Erika really really really really really likes you had a good time create an inviting, intimate space. But therein lies another problem. If your potential lover is this emotionally unavailable in a setting as intimate as this, why does that sound smooth as opposed to devastating?
[5]

Edward Okulicz: A cool track except one thing — the “I had a really really really good time” stutter that was the primary idea of the song. I like literally everything else; the melody is lovely, and the close, intimate vocals and the chilled beat give the tale of disconnection a powerful feeling of longing.
[5]

Kayla Beardslee: Goes for hypnotic and cool but ends up at underdeveloped (which is a nice way of saying boring).
[3]

Oliver Maier: In some ways this reminds me a lot of Kelela, how the yearning melodies seem to gently scrape against the aether, and how de Casier’s grievances feel more like thoughts whispered to herself at night than things she’d ever say aloud to her clueless online beau. And yet the emotional thrust isn’t quite there. “Good Time” isn’t vaporwave but it resonates in a similar way, not just through the gently melancholic, Mr. Fingers-style instrumental, but also through the sense that the feelings expressed here are ornamental, rather than part of a real emotional core. When the “really” in “I had a really good time” is pretend-scratched 5 times over, does that emphasise the truth of the sentiment or reinforce how detached she sounds?
[6]

Alfred Soto: The vocal modesty charms, yet it’s not modesty that inspired the hook, “I had a really really really really really really good time.” If I missed one, she won’t remind me — that’s how she rolls.
[6]