Oyinda – “Flatline” (Singles Going Steady)

Pryor Stroud: Marrying the high-intensity sensuality of FKA Twigs with the ambient-soul minimalism of Movement, “Flatline” is an agonized indie-R&B pulse-racer that drops a miniature apocalypse between two lovers’ bodies. This is a high-stakes romantic drama; someone’s life is in jeopardy, a kind of sexually-fraught destruction looms. With economy and great expressiveness, Oyinda’s voice communicates this drama through vivid notes of desire and heart-rent desperation, climbing in the chorus to a reverberating zenith that seems to teeter closer to collapse than recovery. [8/10]

Chris Ingalls: This slow-motion dance track is full of sleek, pristine synths and pulsing beats, and Oyinda’s voice is a gorgeous, husky instrument. What could have come off as a lazy dance song is improved greatly by whooshing, soaring electronics. Unfortunately, the song itself isn’t particularly impressive. I’m curious to see if the vocals and production could be applied to more creative songwriting. [6/10]

Emmanuel Elone: You have to give it to Oyinda; she can definitely sing her heart out when need be. Luckily, she does it the most on the chorus of “Flatline”, and the result is a catchy hook that sounds amazing to boot. The electronic instrumental is average, although the melody towards the back end of the song was a great addition. While it’s a bit too ethereal and incorporates a few too many trendy sounds, “Flatline” is still a worthwhile track to listen to if only for the chorus and Oyinda’s fantastic vocal performance. [6/10]

Chad Miller: The starting music really catches your attention, but the early vocals don’t do much to keep it. Overall, they sound pretty unenthusiastic, and the verse itself falls pretty flat. The music around the whole track though is consistently excellent though, and where the main vocals don’t do much, the background vocals really save the day. [6/10]

SCORE: 6.50