Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from London, UK, artist, Issy Winstanley. Never Have I Ever is a truly relatable track and is out today, 7th July 2023.
Never Have I Ever is inspired by the laughter, love and life-ruining embarrassment of a 20-something life. A very tongue-in-cheek track from this 21-year-old newcomer to the UK pop/acoustic scene.
The lyrics of this track are the real feature, setting the scene immediately with the line, “Have you ever bumped into a one-night stand while you’re holding someone’s hand?” and leading on from there in the most relatable cringe-inducing embarrassment that only your twenties can bring!
The chorus is super-catchy, with the line, “I can waste my twenties if I want to” being the central focus of this undeniably sing-along quirky pop track. The tuned vocals make the song sound very current and commercial, and Issy has been receiving interest already from BBC Introducing and similar avenues.
The vocals come in straight away and build with strummed guitar. Electronic drums and bass guitar help to fill the sound, but the song remains adorably simple and cutesie. We love the rise and fall and Issy makes great use of stops to grab the listener’s attention.
We like the use of percussions in the middle 8, and the overall feel of the song is bouncy and positive and carries that laissez-faire attitude that only someone in their early twenties can carry off.
This feels like a track that would be well-advised to be pitched for a sync licensing deal. Perhaps for use in a TV comedy or advertisement, and we’d urge Issy to seek out opportunities in this area.
Ideas from our ears
A boost around 50Hz would give some extra thump to the kick drum sound. Also, there is a slight peak at 1.7kHz giving a percussive knocking sound which could use a careful surgical cut. Lastly, since the song is quite quiet, a light compressor/limiter with maybe 5-6dB of make-up gain would raise the volume as well as giving the whole track a touch more thickness and warmth. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Issy Winstanley’s relatable lyrics and positive and upbeat music are current and appealing. You cannot help but smile at her latest single, Never Have I Ever.
https://www.issywinstanley.com/
https://www.facebook.com/issywinstanleymusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4OQR0tSKanqq1gpOAfU7gK
https://soundcloud.com/issy-winstanley
https://www.youtube.com/@issywinstanley4505