Austenyo - Backup Generator (Single Review)

Austenyo is an incredibly underrated young artist at the beginning of what I hope will be a vast and fruitful career. He is one of the most promising artists, someone that I was extremely excited for as soon as I saw he'd released a brand new single. His debut EP, "extended playtime" contained some amazing songs including the feel-good danceable "Personova" and also the introspective and excellent "in my mind", which made it onto my Top 50 Best Songs of 2018.

Going into "Backup Generator" with high hopes I was immediately hooked by Austenyo's typical style of retro R&B, minimalist beat and some fantastic synthesizers that, unlike on previous songs, enhance rather than compliment the beats and add some upbeat, fizzing energy that builds to a more full, complete sound. At first, the synths are purely atmospheric pad sounds but they layer up to be more expressive to contribute to the gentle dance vibe of the song. This is highlighted in the music video, be continues to explore a green screen in the most wonderful, creative ways.

Probably the best thing about this and all Autenyo's songs are his thought-stream lyrics and combo of casual and emotive delivery that definitely evokes a sense of curiosity as a result of the unusual components in the song, in particular Austen's rather unique vocals and change between his talk-singing in the verses and falsetto in the choruses. Most of all, it is the transition between the two that to me sounds intriguingly different in a way I can't exactly explain, possibly a result of the pause conjoined with the slight beat progression and aforementioned vocal shift. Altogether it sounds excellent and I find my ears eagerly anticipating and coming back to the song more and more in correlation to all its exceeding elements.

On Austenyo's latest single I think he is continuing to make fantastic, catchy little tunes that superbly centre on his voice and are continually complimented and characterised by his sparse but flavoursome and delicate beats. In the future I would like to see him expand, particularly in a more hip-hop direction as with on earlier track "Piano" or even better still he could blend all the styles he works with into something new and unique, we'll see, he's bound to bring us more as the year goes on... Right now, "Backup Generator" is a fantastic cut and one I think is definitely worth checking out, I implore that you listen to this artist!

Atmosphere: 4/5
Catchiness: 5/5
Instrumentation: 4/5
Lyrics: 4/5
Production: 4/5

This song is a strong 8 out of 10 for me, an instant favourite and whilst not groundbreaking or revolutionary it's another solid tune from a very promising artist - I expect great things from Autenyo in 2019!