Quinn XCII is an indie-pop artist hailing from Detroit, who seems to be on the rise lately. In 2015, his debut EP “Change of Scenery” gained some traction on streaming services, as did his second EP “Bloom,” and his song “Kings of Summer” became a huge hit with nearly 40 million streams on Spotify. In fact, for a non-mainstream artist, he has garnered quite a bit of popularity on streaming services, with at least three songs that have hit over 30 million streams, and over 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Knowing little about him, the impression I’m getting thus far is that this is his first full-length “album.” Though Spotify calls “Bloom” an “album,” I’ve heard elsewhere that it’s just an EP, and given that “Bloom” is only 7 tracks I’m gonna operate under the assumption that “The Story of Us” is his first album. He first dropped this in 2017, but just last week, he released the “Deluxe” version with four extra tracks, which is what I will be covering. As I said, I’m going into this with no idea as to what to expect, but I’m excited to see if this young, up-and-coming artist can really hit the ball out of the park. Let’s go song-by-song and find out, shall we?
Intro (Slow): A relatively light piano ballad about wanting someone even if they aren’t perfect, Quinn has a very nice singing voice, it kind of gives me a “Shawn Mendes meets James Bay” kind of vibe, and his voice fits nicely against the kind of light, clean, pretty instrumental melody. Not sure I’ll be breaking the replay button with this one, but it’s a nice start to the album that might have some potential to grow on me in the future.
Straightjacket: A much more up-tempo, bright track, this actually has some kind of darker ideas behind it lyrically, in that it’s about a person who acts a certain way in front of people, but is far different when no one is looking. Again, Quinn’s voice is quite smooth, and the bright electronic instrumental melody is really nice and head-noddy. Definitely had a lot of fun with this one!
Worst: An interesting track, in that it’s about two people actually working well in a relationship BECAUSE of their differences, there’s some really interesting lyrics on this track, I like the kind of subdued feeling on the verses, and even though the hook booms to the point where it could feel at odds with the rest of the song, I think it’s really ear-wormy and fun overall. Good track!
Flare Guns (ft. Chelsea Cutler): A song about having someone that your mind tells you that you shouldn’t call, but your heart tells you that you should call, as a young and hopelessly-romantic human being, I can relate to that quite strongly. Quinn’s vocals sound very pretty and nice overall, and even if the beat on this feels like very standard electronic stuff, it’s still head-noddy and bright enough to entertain. The song also features an artist named Chelsea Cutler and she brings some nice vocals to the table while meshing pretty well with Quinn throughout the song. Not one of my favorites on the album, but I think this one will definitely grow on me a lot in the future.
Fake Denim: Hearing that Quinn referred to this as the “poor man’s ‘Gold Digger’” actually kind of worried me, because while I enjoyed “Gold Digger” before, I wondered if him calling it the “poor man’s” version of it indicated a lack of confidence in it. As it is, there’s a decent bit to like about the track: lyrically, it is kind of like “Gold Digger” in that it talks about spending more money than you can/should on someone that may not actually care about you, and I like the bright instrumental melody and smooth percussion on this song. The hook isn’t one of the best on the album, but the song itself is bright and vibrant enough to keep things fun. This also might grow on me in the future.
Don’t You: Described as a “Jack Johnson meets hip-hop” song by genius.com, I once again like Quinn’s smooth, pretty vocals, but I just find the hook and hip-hop beat on this one to be a bit boring. I dig that Quinn doesn’t want to stagnate the album by going for songs that all sound the same, but this track just isn’t doing much for me. Maybe I’m also not connecting as much to the lyrics, either? I’m not sure, but right now, I just find the song to be not as strong as some of the previous ones.
60 Seconds: Another more hip-hop flavored song about having a really bad morning (something I’m sure many of us can relate to), this track has some really interesting ideas going on, mixing a hip-hop beat with a really solid guitar track, and as always Quinn has some very smooth vocals, along with some decent rapping throughout the verse. I’m not all that crazy about the hook on this one, but I definitely think it’s a fun, enjoyable song overall.
Walls: Another really bright, kind of trumpet-heavy track, the song has a kind of standard, but still really charming and fun electronic instrumental, and I really love Quinn’s vocals throughout the track. He continues to sound really smooth and pretty, and he shows off some really solid soul on the hook, which I’d say is honestly one of the best on the album. Even though it ends a bit abruptly, I really like this track, and I think I’ll be coming back to it quite a bit.
Tourist: Here, Quinn talks about moving to Los Angeles and enjoying the lifestyle, but not wanting to get himself too immersed in it. I like the slightly darker and, for lack of a better word, swingier feel of this song, and I like how danceable the beat feels on this one. Quinn himself has some fun with his flow throughout the song, and again, his vocals are soulful and smooth, and they definitely fit nicely up against the instrumentals on this one. Really good track!
One Day At A Time: On this track, Quinn discusses the future, and what it’s like on the last night with your romantic other before leaving them and moving on to different things in life. He does this over a very bright instrumental, which I definitely do like and I think it’s nice on the ears, and while I initially thought it was at odds with the subject of the song (uncertainty), the fact that the lyrics are a bit more positive, which I think justifies the brighter instrumentals for me. Quinn’s vocals are extremely fun and soulful on this one, and the hook is really fun, maybe one of my favorites on the album. I think I’ll definitely come back to this one in the future.
Always Been You: The end of the non-Deluxe Edition of the album, Quinn talks about a person that’s always been there for him against a more guitar-heavy instrumental melody. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but this song kind of brings me back to my childhood. I feel like this sounds like a few songs I heard when I was younger, but just with a slightly more electronic twist. Quinn’s vocals are very nice, even if the hook isn’t one of the catchiest on the album. Might still grow on me in the future, a pretty solid track.
Candle: Spotify lists the Deluxe Edition of the album as two separate discs, so this basically serves as the beginning of the Disc 2, Deluxe Edition-exclusive tracks. It’s a very upbeat song driven by its piano melody and overpowering drum beat, and once again, Quinn’s vocals are very smooth. It does kind of feel like a number of the other tracks on here, but it’s still charming enough to be enjoyable on its own.
Iron & Steel: Another track about a relationship that ended (which Quinn regrets), the instrumental on this is pretty light but still colorful and enjoyable enough to be head-noddy. Quinn’s vocals once again sound nice, though I’m not too struck by the hook on this one. Even if it’s not one of the strongest on the album, it’s still a pretty entertaining song.
What The Hell Happened To Us (ft. Kailee Morgue): I’m a sucker for the kind of string-heavy intros and instrumental melodies that songs like this have, so this had my attention from the beginning. And it gives me so many good vibes! I hear this and it reminds me of so many other songs I’ve heard before. And in this case, I mean that in a good way, in that it combines them together to make something really vibrant, exciting, and danceable (I also love how the lyrics specifically say that this girl Quinn is talking about is like a Wes Anderson film). Kailee Morgue also comes along and provides some really pretty, kind of subdued vocals, and her chemistry with Quinn is rock solid! Really loved this track!
Before It Burned: Ending the album as a whole, we have a track that mixes a more bass-heavy intro and a pretty decent cowbell beat (I just really wanted to mention the cowbell) with a kind of lighter, more subdued but still bright instrumental. As always, Quinn’s vocals flow nicely on this one, and I find it interesting that the song kind of suddenly ends because it feels like it closes the album off in a kind of sad way. Seeing as how this is a journey of the sad endings in a relationship, this feels like it finishes things off appropriately. Not one of my favorites, but it’s certainly a nice ending to the record.
All in all, I'm happy to say that I did enjoy this record. As I’ve said before, I’m usually very cautious going into reviews that were requested, but I definitely walked away from this thing having enjoyed myself. Quinn XCII has a very smooth and pretty voice, and I think he definitely shows throughout the album that he can blend a lot of different styles very nicely. I believe I heard that he’s mentioned that Jack Johnson was a big inspiration for him, and I definitely see it; this kind of feels like what would happen if Jack Johnson wanted to go more pop, and experimented with some electronic and hip-hop crossovers instead of simply making the same acoustic ballads we hear from him all the time. The result is that Quinn XCII not only has a grasp on how to make a pop album, but he also has a solid understanding of how to make a vibrant, entertaining, and snappy pop record.
Of course, the record as a whole is not without some drawbacks; while Quinn is a rather solid lyricist, I definitely feel like a number of the songs kind of blend together in regards to their overall concepts. A lot of what’s here seems to be Quinn talking about love and relationships, and while that’s not a totally bad thing, it might turn off a few listeners who might find him to be slightly one-dimensional. Still, I definitely think Quinn has a good grasp on his sound and what he should be doing, and this album definitely proves it. Is Quinn XCII a pop star in the making? Only time will tell, but if the man blows up and becomes a huge, worldwide-selling artist, he’d definitely get my vote of support!
Keep up the good work, Quinn, I’m rootin’ for ya!
Favorite tracks: Straightjacket, Worst, Walls, Tourist, One Day At A Time, What The Hell Happened To Us
Least favorite tracks: Don’t You
Rating: Good
No comments:
Post a Comment