Though the age of the Club Kid has all but ended, I remain a believer in the power of the one true God – the DJ. Any really good DJ knows that they have incredibly influential power over their crowd; so much so that they can influence huge bodies of people to do wild and uninhibited things. They can spin a decent night into a mind-blowingly fantastic one. They are the masters of a consummate party.
When the DJ is off, everything else involved in your experience can fall flat. Whenever a new Dance-Pop song is released, I have to picture it being spun by my favorite DJs. I have to envision myself in the arms of someone else, tense with erotic fixation, imagining that the beat has more than one meaning. The track doesn’t have to take itself too seriously to be successful, yet it does have to have some semblance of cohesion and a clear purpose.
Karmin’s latest single, “I Want it All,” is an infectious and well-produced track, however it has neither.
Think back to the last truly fun night you had at a club. I’m not talking about that time you showed up already wasted and passed out in the bathroom. I want you to think about the last time you went from zero to Dance Floor hero. What contributed to that experience? Was it the drinks? Was it your friends? Did you meet someone that you fell for on the floor? Was it the music? I go to the club to be taken over; by the crowd vibe, the strong cocktails, and the music.
Karmin, the Dance-Pop duo that rose to fame after releasing their song “Brokenhearted,” is comprised of Amy Heidemannand and Nicholas Noonan. If you’ve never heard of the group before, or their most successful track (Brokenhearted), “I Want it All,” will not convert you to their fan-base. The song is unimaginative. Using over-done nonsense syllables and frustratingly inconsistent lyrics, the song lacks a motive and conviction beyond, well, “hey I like the way you move, will you sleep with me.” I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that message, however the competition to say this in innovative ways is too big to ignore. Saying “All I Need is One More Night,” and then “I Want it All,” is confusing and suggests that the artist had two good ideas and, rather than choosing one, decided to fuse them together, slap a decent post-chorus onto it, and layer the rest with repetitive beats. The song has a good hook (not great), but the lyrics are just too…cliché and lazy. Also, the vocals are indistinguishable from any other female Pop vocals. What is Karmin’s brand? Easy Dance Listening?
When the music is pounding, the drinks are working, and you’ve got someone sharing the moment; I don’t believe that you could call any song that makes you dance, “bad.” If Karmin’s main objective is to outsource their success to club/DJ endorsements, then their latest will probably succeed. Convincing people they have pop-chops, innovative hooks, or a brand worth talking about, is another story.
Feels: The pre-party warm up routine with my roommate.
Tastes: Warm Sangria
Sounds: A Glee a-cappella arrangement in a blender with “I Love it” (Icona Pop)
-Michael Graye, AudioFuzz Writer