Along with his unapologetically uncooked debut, DARNELL launched again onto the airwaves with Play It Once more, letting the world witness the type of alt rap EDM that cuts deeper the extra you hear. The irony is woven straight into the title, as every hear circles again on itself, like remorse pressed onto vinyl and left spinning till dawn.
DARNELL’s vocals swap gears at will, pirouetting from rafter-reaching, feel-good soul within the choruses to the bittersweet, confessionalism that lands punch after punch within the verses. There’s a bruised euphoria to the groove, one which dances on the strain between hope and heartbreak, mirroring the story DARNELL unravels: a painfully trustworthy apology to the lady caught within the fallout of his sudden fame.
As a substitute of hiding behind bravado or ego, DARNELL leans straight into emotional publicity. The signature drum and bass pulses tie the observe to his roots in UK Hip-Hop and R&B, however his vocal dynamism is what lets the ache twist itself into pure sonic catharsis.
His vocal supply breathes like a haunted echo by reminiscences he’s refused to let go of, each loop haunted by the load of his previous actions. Identified by many from his time on Huge Brother UK, DARNELL is refusing to let that be his legacy by reworking vulnerability into aural altitude.
If Play It Once more is the opening salvo, he’s making a convincing case for a chart takeover.
Play It Once more is now obtainable on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.
Evaluation by Amelia Vandergast
