This Kizz…
[Video]
[5.50]
Nortey Dowuona: Slinking, collapsing drums wrap around the warm, glowing bass and dribbling synths that spin a lovestruck Kizz Daniel.
[7]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: “Madu” is a confection of a song– just light enough to be loopable, ending abruptly just after the 2.5 minute mark, but packing that run time with enough hooks and charming flirtations to stick in your mind. It’s not likely to be a song I come back to very much, but it doesn’t seem to be aspiring towards that anyways– and “Madu” fulfills its limited ambitions with poise.
[7]
Tim de Reuse: Every element is too polite to be in the foreground, all politely deferring to one another; what we’re left with is a mess of vocal effects, fragmented melodies, and gentle percussion that don’t bounce off of each other in any interesting sense. Oh, and there’s tropical bells. Can’t forget about tropical bells.
[4]
Alfred Soto: Its amiable electrovibe never threatens the listener, nor does it rise to the level of hummability.
[5]
Iris Xie: “I want to use my money to scatter your brain for you.” Holy fuck, I don’t know if I would have ever put that combination of words together, but I’m both in awe and slight horror of that syntax — what kind of fantasy handbook for wannabe sugar daddies was this line ripped from? Combined with the intro of “Look at me baby, call me Zaddy /Are you okay, are you okay?” and this is the “Smooth Criminal” callback I seriously never wanted. The utter chillness and relaxed attitude of this song is deceptive, like a cad who is used to “attracting women” by becoming a sticky fly trap.
[4]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: The backing beat’s synth filigrees and vaporous synth pads round out the syncopated percussion. The mood that’s conjured up: casual, matter-of-fact sensuality. Even Kizz Daniel’s vocalizing — filled with vibrant, jubilant ad-libs — are sung so effortlessly that there’s a charm to how fleeting and unflashy this is.
[6]