SOHN – “Signal” (Singles Going Steady)

Andrew Paschal: “Signal” starts out promisingly enough, with warm washes of analog synths combining with a sparse yet commanding beat and forlorn vocals. It remains in this state for a while, but as the song progresses SOHN chooses to give in to some of the more unfortunate impulses of electronic music, gradually layering distorted synthetic squeals that remind me of what James Blake once referred to as the “pissing competition” of EDM. While not quite approaching that level of grotesque, and at least abstaining from total excess, “Signal” nonetheless leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, like the feeling of waking up having smoked too many cigarettes the night before (or perhaps kissing someone who had). [5/10]

Adriane Pontecorvo: Weighty, yet somehow unsubstantial. An exhausting slog through this slow, repetitive song unearths very few worthwhile or original elements. The few lyrics that aren’t garbled beyond comprehension are riddled with clichés. The best things about this track are the beats, which sound like leftovers from a Glass Animals recording sessions, traded in for something a little more interesting. Smooth and molasses-like. [2/10]

Chris Ingalls: SOHN’s vocals have a gorgeous, contemporary R&B feel, and the music, while chilly, thoroughly modern and almost science fiction-influenced, is the perfect emotional counterweight to the truly heart-on-sleeve emoting. A song with a multitude of layers and emotion. [8/10]

Michael Pementel: A straight forward R&B track with vocals and beat we’ve heard a hundred times. Things only get interesting at the end, where the instrumental picks up, adding a fuzzy speed and mix. This doesn’t last long however, and would have been more enjoyable had it popped up throughout the track. Beyond this small drip of intensity, this track follows the same steps that the majority of the industry is following, adding nothing new. [2/10]

Scott Zuppardo: What could be a new Kool Keith B-side instrumentally is not lacking luster as club track either. The sample is pure dopeness and the drum line equally perfect. The auspicious vocal offering takes a backseat to the production and fades out to the Auto-Tune it came from by number’s end. Again, not my cup of tea on a daily basis, but after this group of heavily electronic blurb fodder, perhaps I’m not the hater I thought. Don’t hate, Congratulate. [8/10]

Landon MacDonald: With Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich writing and production respectively, and James Blake synths the sonics are on point. The lyrics hit themes of communication, distance, love lost with the hope of it being regained. When Christopher Taylor cries out “give me shelter”, he isn’t trying to appeal to Rolling Stones fans, he is expressing a universal feeling in 2016, the confusion of how constant communication couldn’t result in closer relationships. When we reach the coda, the 2006 era Wayne Coyne vocoder hook ringing out over fizzing synths and reverb, the isolation evaporates. [7/10]

SCORE: 5.33