RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Feb 9, 2024 11:07:55 GMT -5
8. Lavender (feat. Pink Sweat$)
Album: Non-album single (2024) Standout lyric: "You got me singin' like lavender, I can never stay mad at her"
I'd mentioned in the past couple reviews for the "This Is What (insert season here) Feels Like" songs that I'd felt his songs had become gimmicky. After giving this a listen, I'm pleasantly surprised and this feels like a step back in the right direction. I absolutely love the light, airy production, which is the standout element of the track for me. The song's lyrics talk about being so smitten for a person that you can't feel anything but love for them. Lyrically, a few of the lyrics are a bit cringey, particularly "Dropped out, teach me how to love, it's a classroom / Hot for the teacher, with a question I gotta ask ya." However, it doesn't really bother me too much, as it's just a few clunky lyrics here and there, and it doesn't overshadow the song or anything. I thought Pink Sweat$'s chill singing fit very well into the dreamy vibe of the song, and he and Jvke had surprisingly good chemistry here. Besides the excellent production, what made the song most work for me is that, even though I can definitely see this having TikTok appeal, this felt very chill and natural, reminiscent of the type of stuff that was on his album. It didn't feel like he was trying to force any gimmick here, like he had been with the different season songs. Personally I'm quite glad he stepped away from the gimmicky stuff, and I hope this track is representative of the direction he plans to go in the future.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Feb 24, 2024 20:38:11 GMT -5
25. This Is What Floating Feels Like
Album: Non-album single (2024)
Unfortunately, we’re back to the gimmicky TikTok bait. The beat and production is kind of appealing here, although the slowed-down/reverb ending was a bit odd. I didn’t really find the lyrics to be anything special, and this is another one that’s just kinda there and bleeds together with his other recent output. I really wish he would have stayed on the path of doing more things like “Lavender,” which had a fresh sound and is one I’ve been returning to a bit. Hopeful that he’ll change it up a bit with the next single.
Note: Apparently, Jvke's team agreed that this was subpar, as he removed it from all streaming services a week after its release. Because of this, no video of the song is available to link.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Mar 2, 2024 10:45:19 GMT -5
10. Don't Let Me Down (with Surfaces)
Album: Non-album single (2024)
Wow, Jvke is really pumping out the music lately with three songs in the past month alone lol. I was familiar with Surfaces with their hit “Sunday Best,” and also like “Take It Easy” from them. I was surprised what great chemistry they have with Jvke here on this track! They sound so natural together, and the production goes super well with their voices! There’s nothing much here to discuss lyrically, but this kinda bops! The chorus is such an earworm here. I’ll definitely be returning to this one!
Edit: Oh wow, he actually removed "This Is What Floating Feels Like" from all streaming services. (I replaced it with a random lyric video that's still up) A lot of people must have felt similarly to what I was saying in my review lol.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Mar 21, 2024 13:47:10 GMT -5
14. Clouds
Album: Non-album single (2024)
I wouldn’t say this is quite as instant for me as “Lavender” is, but it’s still a good song and I’m really glad he seems to be stepping away from the “This is What ___ Feels Like” B-Side sound. I like the dreamy sound of the production here, which feels like a different sound than he’s explored before but it still fits him very well. The autotune/vocal effect here is interesting too. I could see the “repeating the last word of each line” thing getting a bit grating over time, but overall I think his switch-up in vocals sounded decent. Although I didn’t immediately have strong feelings about it like I did with “Lavender,” he made a good effort to mix it up here instead of doing a gimmicky retread of the first album, so I’m definitely satisfied here. I could see this being a grower.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Apr 15, 2024 11:26:41 GMT -5
27. This Is What Slow Dancing Feels Like
Album: Non-album single (2024)
Since the last review, I have to say that "Clouds" has really grown on me! Unfortunately, I can't really say the same for this track, which tbh, I didn't really care for any aspect of. The production here feels corny and cliché, rather than the heartfelt and romantic feeling that he was going for. My biggest issue though lies in his vocals, which I feel were particularly rough and overwrought here. I honestly don't really have anything else to say about this one, other than I can't see any reason to return to it. I do find his strategy of switching off between the "Feels Like" tracks and experimental tracks to be interesting. It feels like he may be testing the waters to see what type of content people are wanting from him, without doing a hard switch of his brand or musical style. Even if I haven't been enjoying the "Feels Like" tracks anymore, it is a smart strategy and I'll be interested to see how it pans out for him.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on May 6, 2024 18:56:57 GMT -5
Hey all! Lately in doing these reviews, it's been a bit difficult to choose where to put new songs amongst a ranked list that doesn't necessarily represent my opinions on certain songs anymore. I've been thinking about how to reconceptualize these reviews, and have decided that instead of ranking each song in the post, from here forward, I will review and rate it out of 10. There still will be a running list in the OP that will be updated as I review new songs, but I think simply giving them a rating in the post rather than ranking them will be an easier way to account for the fact that my list will change over time. For anyone who follows my other review threads, I'm going to be doing the same for those, but will only be bumping the threads where the list has changed. Here's how my rankings of these songs have changed in the past year:
34. Strings with Max and Bazzi (=) 33. With All My Heart with Illenium (-1) 32. Fool for U with Galantis and Enisa (-2) 31. This Is What Floating Feels Like (-3) 30. Charger (-4) 29. This Is What Slow Dancing Feels Like (-3) 28. Angel with NLE Choppa, Jimin, Muni Long and Kodak Black (+5) 27. This Is What Winter Feels Like (-2) 26. This Is What Autumn Feels Like (-2) 25. Broken Melodies with NCT Dream (-2) 24. This Is What Sadness Feels Like (-2) 23. Catch Me (-3) 22. Ghost Town (-3) 21. Anxiety (-3) 20. Hero with Martin Garrix (+11) 19. Secrets (+11) 18. This Is What Space Feels Like (-1) 17. Fire! with Alan Walker and Yuqi of (G)-IDLE (=) 16. Save Your Breath (=) 15. Moon and Back (-1) 14. This Is What Heartbreak Feels Like (-8) 13. Wonder If She Loves Me (-2) 12. I'm Not Okay (-7) 11. This Is What Losing Someone Feels Like (-2) 10. Dandelion with Galantis (+12) 9. Clouds (+5) 8. Upside Down feat. Charlie Puth (+4) 7. Don't Let Me Down with Surfaces (+3) 6. Lavender feat. Pink Sweat$ (+2) 5. This Is What Falling Out of Love Feels Like (+2) 4. Home (=) 3. I Can't Help It (=) 2. Golden Hour (=) 1. This Is What Falling in Love Feels Like (=)
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Jun 13, 2024 23:12:35 GMT -5
Mi Amor (with Sam Feldt & Anitta) Rating: 9/10
I believe this is a new record for how quickly I've reviewed a song: only 12 minutes after its release! lol This is such a fun, summery bop, and is pretty instant on first listen for me. I've not heard anything other than "Post Malone" from Sam Feldt, and I'm also not sure if Jvke contributed to the production at all like he has with past DJ collabs, but the production here is fire! Jvke and Anitta's chemistry isn't anything Earth-shattering, but I feel their contributions work pretty well together. Besides the production, I also really like the smoothness of Jvke's voice on this; it fits really well with the production and sounds great. I'll definitely be listening to this quite a bit more this summer!
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Jul 13, 2024 22:08:57 GMT -5
BONUS: XO (English Remix) - Enhypen featuring Jvke
Rating: 5/10
I actually didn't realize this was even coming out, but it popped up in my YouTube recommendations just now and I gave it a listen. Since this is a remix of an already existing song, and Jvke is not credited as a lead artist here, I decided to just make this a bonus that won't be included in the rankings in the OP.
I thought this was just alright, but don't find it to be particularly memorable. Even with the distorted vocal effect, the chorus is very generic, to the point of quite literally just being "XO, XO, kiss me, don't say no." The first verse from Enhypen also doesn't contribute anything to the song to make it memorable. It's certainly not bad, but it's bland fluff without any sort of charm to it. Jvke's second verse is fine, I guess? I have the same issue with his part; there's just no substance to it. The production is also fine, but it doesn't do anything to make the song more memorable. There are a good amount of songs that fall into the "cute, meaningless fluff" category that I really enjoy, but this song falls flat for me, due to both Enhypen and Jvke lacking the energy and charisma to make the song appealing.
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Taiga
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Post by Taiga on Jul 15, 2024 11:30:18 GMT -5
I'll admit I had only heard of JVKE thanks to a Japanese singer I listen to (the Fujii Kaze remix of golden hour), but Spotify added clouds to my Discover Weekly today and I liked it so much I think I'll check out his discography, haha.
I started with Mi Amor, being the most recent one (and it features Anitta, which as a Brazilian, I guess I'd gravitate to it eventually, lol), and really liked it, too, so I think I'll use your reviews as a guide to what check out next!
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Jul 15, 2024 20:58:21 GMT -5
I'll admit I had only heard of JVKE thanks to a Japanese singer I listen to (the Fujii Kaze remix of golden hour), but Spotify added clouds to my Discover Weekly today and I liked it so much I think I'll check out his discography, haha. I started with Mi Amor, being the most recent one (and it features Anitta, which as a Brazilian, I guess I'd gravitate to it eventually, lol), and really liked it, too, so I think I'll use your reviews as a guide to what check out next! I actually hadn't heard the Fujii Kaze remix of "Golden Hour," but I just gave it a listen and I really enjoyed it! ![:-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Fujii's verse sounded really good, and they've got excellent chemistry in the chorus. And yeah, "Clouds" is such a great song! It's grown on me even more since reviewing it. If you're interested in sharing once you check out more of songs, I'd be curious which songs in his discography you end up liking most!
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TheOutcast
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Post by TheOutcast on Jul 16, 2024 14:31:08 GMT -5
RoseColoredGirl JVKE also released a song about 11 days ago called Never Get Used To This, a song he wrote with Forrest Frank. I’m curious as to how you would rate it, as it is among the top of his discography for me.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Jul 16, 2024 14:59:40 GMT -5
TheOutcast Here is my review
Never Get Used to This (Forrest Frank feat. Jvke)
Rating: 6.5/10
So I had no idea until doing some research on it just now, but apparently Forrest Frank is one of the singers from Surfaces, who are most famous for their hit "Sunday Best," and they also collaborated with Jvke earlier this year with "Don't Let Me Down." On first listen, the production to this sounds pretty good! You can definitely tell Jvke's role in producing this, as the use of bass is very clearly his style. I haven't really listened to much from Surfaces beyond the two aforementioned songs and "Take It Easy," but I think Forrest did a good job here creating his own unique style, while also still keeping a little bit of the charm that he brings to Surfaces. Jvke sounds pretty good here too and has good chemistry with Forrest.
I will admit, I don't really listen to religious music, but I felt they did a decent job here making the message have a bit of relatability even for listeners who might not be as religious. In the first verse, Forrest talks about feeling depressed and hopeless ("I was stuck inside that grave a long time, didn't think I'd make it through those long nights"), but in the chorus, he declares that he has found his faith and has decided how he wants to live ("This is how I want to live"). Even as someone who doesn't listen to religious music, I found a bit of relatability from it. I spoke earlier in this review thread about how a few years ago, I struggled with depression and anxiety (and still struggle a bit with the latter). What ultimately helped me get out of that rut was realizing about what was important to me in life, and making a conscious decision about how I wanted to live. While that change of mindset wasn't a result of a religious epiphany for me, the lyrics about getting out of a rut through making a conscious decision to live your life the way you want to spoke to me.
I rated this a 6.5/10, only because this wasn't quite instant for me and I'm not sure how much I'd want to return to it, even if I did like it. I think both Forrest and Jvke did a good job with this though, and the song was very well-made.
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RoseColoredGirl
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Post by RoseColoredGirl on Aug 30, 2024 7:47:38 GMT -5
Her
Rating: 5/10
I think this is the first time I've stanned an artist who has been so hit or miss for me, lol. I thought this one was just alright. While the production is decent, it feels like a half-baked retread of "Golden Hour." His different style of singing here doesn't really do anything for me either, and also sounds like he is trying to mirror "Golden Hour." That said, the song isn't necessarily bad, just relatively unmemorable and not something I'd want to return to. As I've mentioned before, I feel Jvke is at his best when he experiments with new sounds, like "Clouds" and "Mi Amor," rather than trying to rehash the same sound over and over. I could see this maybe growing on me a little, but overall, I find this pretty lackluster and don't really have a lot to say about it.
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