Canada’s Braden Bales‘ latest release, “I DON’T (BUT I DO),” channels the pop sounds of Benson Boone and Joji to give listeners a first view into his new direction as an artist in his upcoming EP. The modern pop sound relies heavily on its several guitars and strong rhythm to work with a narrative of a bitter end to love.
The song follows Bales as he laments about the fallout of a relationship and the desire to let go. In the chorus, the plea to “cut the string from my noose” is a striking use of imagery that highlights the torment over the loose ends of a failed relationship that the singer wants to be rid of. Bales takes time in the verses to explain the causes of this angst by listing out the self-destructive nature of the relationship; “I placed my worth on the way you saw me.” Bales doesn’t use overly complicated techniques in his writing, rather opting to be concise in his messaging. This is expected of the pop genre, but it would be nice to see Bales build more on some of the use of metaphor and analogy that is quickly dismissed within his lyrics.
As referenced, there are a lot of guitars within the instrumentation that layer on top of one another. The song starts with several lead and rhythm guitars that take up most of the listener’s focus. While the guitars themselves work well, Bale’s voice at times blends so well into the instrumentation that his lyrics can become hard to understand. Additionally, the guitars have little bass sound and for a produced pop song that’s reliant on a high energy, the soundscape doesn’t feel very rounded out. While there is a kick drum, this isn’t enough to balance out the higher frequencies of the guitars. However, these are all nit-picky critiques that don’t grossly disbar the song.
In the end, Braden Bales works to create a pop song that can be enjoyed by many and alienate few. If you enjoy “I DON’T (BUT I DO)”, you should stick around for Bales’ upcoming EP releasing later this year.
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