Music Assessment: Katseye – Gabriela

Right here’s a bit of secret concerning the scores on this weblog, and it could appear counterintuitive. I hardly ever enterprise under a “6” on my total scale, however any music that hits under this mark has a particular place in my coronary heart. In reality, I are likely to “like” them greater than most of the songs rated within the 7’s. I could not ever wish to hear to them once more, however no less than they made me really feel one thing. Such is the case with Katseye’s now-viral hit Gnarly. I nonetheless suppose that music reaches for a quirkiness it doesn’t absolutely attain and feels overly manufactured to create virality, but it surely’s definitely not boring. I’ve to understand the sheer nerve even when I don’t love the precise music.

So, in a humorous twist Katseye’s new single Gabriela will earn the next ranking despite the fact that I discover it boring compared to its predecessor. For this music, the group scored a Charli XCX co-write, which is smart since Gnarly bent over backwards to copy a sure Brat power. Nevertheless, the quirkiest factor about Gabriela is its cleaning soap operatic video. By itself, I don’t see the music turning many heads. The ladies have added a Latin twist to their sound, married to a moody mid-tempo groove that by no means develops into something extra. It’s all a bit ‘Camila Cabello circa 2018,’ which I can’t say is a pop fashion I miss.

Mainstream pop music has slowed to such an inert tempo over the previous decade and Gabriela matches proper in with that development. I’m certain I sound like a damaged file, however the music may do with a serious kick within the butt. Think about if its power matched the madcap mugging within the music video. The considered a brand new international woman group like Katseye is so thrilling. I want their music would seize that pleasure in a means that feels distinctive to them. Gabriela merely trudges alongside, carried out properly however biking across the similar repetitive hooks with out the payoff I crave. Within the grand scheme of issues, Gnarly can nonetheless put on its “4.25” ranking like a badge of honor as a result of a “7.5” is much extra widespread and far more forgettable.

Grade: C