Non-Controversy candidate…
[Video][Website]
[6.33]
Josh Langhoff: Straight up brick and mortar pop/rock, more new wave than EDM, this song has always existed and will always exist. The lead guitar, buried beneath drums and synth, squeals because lead guitars have always squealed and will always squeal. Enrique’s “Escape” remains a constant threat.
[6]
Dorian Sinclair: The gulpy, breathy verse here reminds me of early Britney–which is some of the highest praise I can give, honestly–and the soaring euphoria of the chorus had me smiling about halfway through the first repetition. I don’t know what Dulce Maria is singing about, but she’s clearly very happy, and the music does an excellent job of communicating that feeling.
[8]
Alfred Soto: It moves with the confidence of a new decade Kelly Clarkson hit, but the mix lets it down: the guitars and synth details get plowed under.
[6]
Brad Shoup: Dulce’s frothy enough to not need that cod-Schon guitar — and as timid as it is in the mix, that’s not hard. The off-rhythm pulse at the beginning lies about the destabilization to come: the pneumatic drums and disco guitar are fresh out of the packaging.
[6]
Jonathan Bogart: “Either you do it or I will” is the most natural translation of the title; fed up with a boy who stares but won’t say anything to her, she’s promising to take matters into her own hands if he doesn’t get a move on. It’s a standard pop premise, and the music is standard pop/rock to match, as machine-tooled and unspecific as that non-genre invented for the convenience of record stores.
[6]
W.B. Swygart: Likeable in an undemanding kind of way, even if it feels like it’s missing a bit of saxophone every now and then.
[6]