If you’ve been following my articles over the past month or two, you’d know that I haven’t missed a single Dro Kenji release, and how could I when he has been putting out some of the most incredible music in the entire industry? All of the singles he dropped leading up to the release of his project Tears and Pistols were absolute hits which gave me no doubt in my mind that the project itself would be unbelievable, and my anticipations were underwhelming compared to the masterful EP he gifted us just a few weeks ago.
Although I’ve been listening to Tears and Pistols somewhat religiously since it released, as many early adopters have, Dro is so fresh and excited to be blowing up the way he is that he couldn’t let the fun stop there. Luckily, on this bright and beautiful Friday morning, I woke up to the news that he released another brand-new song entitled “Up”, and it just further solidifies his argument for being one of, if not the very best up and comer in music in general. Produced by Nick Mira, the frontrunning Internet Money sensation, angelic piano keys, airy synths, crisp, consistent percussion, and powerful 808s are introduced to your eardrums while Dro begins to sing his absolutely flawless lyrics.
As he has done a slew of times in the past, Dro mumbles and somewhat hums a few precursor bars as the instrumental takes shape before coming in stronger than ever on the hook. During this portion, there are a few vocal layers, some more distant and soft while the main layer comes through as prevailing as ever, only being elevated by the background vocals that provide depth and complexity.
The melancholic delivery of his words is something that comes quite naturally to him from what I’ve heard so far, juxtaposing the more hopeful, prevalent vibe of the beat while still remaining somewhat calm and composed. That is until he arrives at certain lines where he absolutely belts out notes, allowing his emotions to fly free in the form of ad-libs and onomatopoeias where he truly lets himself loose and allows his feelings to take the wheel.
Beyond this, he just has a natural knack for creating some of the most addicting melodies on choruses that linger in your head long after the song ends, prompting you to want to head back for additional listens as soon as you possibly can. This continues into his verse with a similar cadence to an extent, but his voice continues to waiver and change pitches in the blink of an eye as he delivers some new sounds and equally masterful notes that make you just want to sing along to every single lyric he croons. Although his verse is relatively short, the brunt of the workload is placed on the enthralling hook, which does more than a perfect job of bringing this track full circle and turning it into an absolute hit in every sense of the word.
I think it’s safe to say that Dro Kenji’s world has been completely flipped upside down since the summer after flying out to LA to work with Internet Money, and I think he’d wholeheartedly agree with that statement. He has been making remarkable music for years, but his career truly took off since making that big decision, although it was probably a no brainer in his mind. Not only has he surrounded himself with some of the best artists in the industry, but he has discovered a voice that resonates with fans and has grown an incredible following ever since. I hope to see a few visuals from the rising star in the near future, but as long as he continues to pump out outstanding music as he has been, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. If you’re anything like me, I highly suggest you take a very brief break from listening to Tears and Pistols in order to check out his brand-new record “Up” before heading back to the unbelievable project.