Single Review: Say No

25 year old Lauren Gin has been DJing for some 5 years now, playing popular shows and festivals in and around New Zealand, as well as internationally. 2021 marks the third year of making her own music, releasing her first single in 2019, and debut EP Supernova in 2020, effectively establishing herself as an electronic music producer in her own right.

Now releasing her third single Say No with impeccable vocals provided by Rachel Leo, the melody lines are emotive and pretty, with a delicate indie tone.

The track opens with natural sounds of ocean and birds, which creates a spacious open-air feel. Nice use of EQ sweep on the vocals as they float over longing chords. The track then slowly builds until it takes us into a frenetic 808-heavy crescendo, which fires us out into empty space in the drop; to be picked up in the nick of time by that intense modulating saw synth. This creates a delicious sense of tension as the volume automates dramatically, interspersed with tasty glitched-up bites. It feels like being swooped up by a giant magical bird which is now flying over stunning landscapes. The song travels well, changing up the beats that underly Rachel’s vocals the second time around, which is very effective.

This is an emotive track with big dance and club appeal, and finishes pleasingly where it began, back out in the open natural space of birdsong.

I enjoy the softness of femininity brought to this style of music, as opposed it’s masculine counterpart which can sometimes come across a little aggressive in this genre. It’s a more dreamy, fantastical style of Future Bass, which suits it far better, in my opinion. Of the likes of Trndsttr (feat. M. Maggie) sans the full-on 808 attack in the build-up, which maybe feels a little cliché for 2021.

Great to listen to the work of a female producer doing their thang and achieving success in the EDM music scene. This track stands head and shoulders above the rest, demonstrating Gin’s development as an artist. Keep it up!