JVKE – Pretty (Single Review)

Weeks after his single World’s Collide, JVKE released his new single today called Pretty. I think it’s because that he was just married a few months ago, so all his recent songs are filled with positive energy.

JVKE is a new pop artist from Rhode Island, and is also a master in the new subgenre Cinematic pop – a kind of pop with a lot of synths and cinematic, lush, strings. His hit song golden hour peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Charts, and his debut album this is what ____ feels like (Vol. 1-4) peaked at 40 on the Billboard 200. It has been at least six weeks since his latest release, so let’s have a listen to his new single.

We can first hear his dreamy voice with a synth guitar at the background. Also noticeable is the tuning – 432hz, which was also used in golden hour and a whole lot of other songs. This gives his music an “old feeling”, or a style more like Tin Pan Alley, with the clinky-clonky piano.

After the short intro, we hear the Verse I. I really feel that his lyrical skills have improved over these years. The Verse I is filled with lush synths, and we can also hear him singing those difficult leaps. The First Chorus is the same as the intro, but adding a few more verses. After that, we can hear an inversion of the accompaniment of golden hour. I really like the mention of golden hour in his songs, and this isn’t the first time he did this.

After this bridge, we can hear the Verse II. This time he added a beat under the new golden hour inversion accompaniment. Then there is the pre-chorus, where he hits some pretty high notes. JVKE is the master of high notes, as you can hear them in this is what slow dancing feels like. His control is just amazing.

Finally, there is the second chorus, which is a mash-up of all the elements in the song. He usually does that in the second chorus. What’s NOT usual is missing of the usual long outro. But I also like how the song just fades away.

SCORE/Outstanding: If you are looking for dreamy and happy songs, you have come to the right place! Pretty will make you “float” after you listen to it!

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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