Single Review: Hypocrite

Wellingtonian teen singer-songwriter Bianca Isabel has been creating her own music since she was just twelve. In recent months, she has recorded and released a small handful of original material, turning heads in local indie/alternative pop circles.

Right off the back of her previous single Lovely Day, Bianca acted quick to maintain her momentum and released another new tune, Hypocrite.

Straight off the bat, you know you’re in for a deep, personal ride. Beginning with sombre but clear vocals set over simple piano arpeggios, Bianca bares all of her emotions, addressing conflict and its repercussions.

With nothing but clean vocals and a keyboard seemingly recorded in one’s living room, this captures the feel of a performance, as though played in the middle of a live set. There are moments in the two-minutes-and-half where the keyboards play catch-up to the vocals; this adds a degree of character, and also reinforces the live-performance aspect, to this song.

The song’s highlight is absolutely Bianca’s voice; clear and sweet with little to no technical embellishments necessary. Bearing a good deal of potential, one can foresee Bianca’s singing paired with experimental beats or a mild electronic backing track in future. But I digress!

There exists a second version of this same tune, with more polished vocals, re-recorded piano parts and acoustic guitar chords over the choruses, which truly amplifies the small climaxes of the song. With this radio-friendlier version, this could be the one to draw the attention of casual listeners. That said, the song has its own merits, with or without mainstream attention. With luck, both version may be available online in the coming weeks; the two are equally worth checking out.

In a world over-crowded with jarring, over-the-top pop hooks, this one is a lovely antidote, and a quietly refreshing and astonishingly mature piece of music. This is yet another promising and sure-footed step for the young singer-songwriter.