The Jukebox is a tougher crowd than watchers of British reality TV, then.
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[5.22]
Scott Mildenhall: Since finishing fourth on the simulation theory case study Love Island in 2018, Wes Nelson has been runner-up on Dancing on Ice, and narrowly beat Martin Bashir to eighth place on The X Factor: Celebrity as part of escapee islander combo No Love Lost (so named for their sated desire to avenge MJ and Diana). So could the science — that he’s better at Existing in Villa than Singing on Filler — be wrong? No! The best that can be said about this is that it does not sound like the bandwagon-jumping of a TV star; Nelson slots nicely into this niche. But that’s not to say it doesn’t sound like it’s going through the motions. In actually putting in a bit of effort, Hardy Caprio sounds like he’s misunderstood the project’s ambitions.
[4]
Alfred Soto: I had to confirm Love Island wasn’t a KISS album. Reassured, I nodded along to this serviceable example of R&B, UK style. The anonymity is the point.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: This is basically a Drake song, but Nelson pulls it off (basically doing a Drake impersonation), helped along by some delightful bars from Caprio (who should be a star), and especially Ayo Beatz’ plinky production. An expertly-built pop/rap record.
[7]
Nortey Dowuona: Supended piano chords watch a hungry bass leap around after their butterfly synth toy piano while Wes is clumsily butting around and completely unaware they are about to be eaten, but Hardy knocks the bass back on its tail and then runs away, trying to climb the walls, then clutching onto the piano, before being scratched down by the bass, but Wes wails and the butterflies swarm the bass eyes, allowing Hardy to be carried away by Wes.
[7]
John Seroff: Ingredients: solid, serviceably middle-of-the-road (in a Batmobile, i guess?) UK pop rap debut from a reality tv show kid. If there are no surprises, lows or heights to be scaled here, that’s likely by design.
[5]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The lyrics get a little frothy at time (the Batman-Pacman complex is not the sign of a studied compositional approach) but the beat flows like it’s unaware of what’s being spoken over it and Nelson sounds about as good as any UK pop rap guy. It’s fun for what it is– I can already see this soundtracking whatever the Brit equivalent of And1 mixtapes are.
[5]
Stephen Eisermann: Wes Nelson’s got excellent flow and this tropical beat only enhances the uniqueness of it, but there isn’t much here, is there? Hardy Caprio feels more like a hindrance to the vibes this song delivers, but by the end Wes Nelson finds his footing once more. It’s certainly an easy listen, but on a third and fourth listen, I’m left cold. Like a dance with a stranger at a night cub, it feels nice, but when it’s over and you look up – it’s just not that impressive.
[5]
Aaron Bergstrom: I don’t know if it’s possible for there to be a more backhanded compliment than “significantly better than I expected from the guy who finished fourth on Love Island two years ago” but here we are. It’s paint-by-numbers Afrobeat, but it’s competent.
[4]
Will Adams: The bar for reality-star-cum-recording-artist is low enough that Wes Nelson can clear it easy, even with a forgettably competent tune. He shows promise on the chorus, and that’s it. Extra point for Hardy Caprio reviving hashtag rap via a Voldemort reference, if only for the nerve.
[5]