REVIEW: “SimpleStupid” Delivers Playfulness and Intensity All at Once
WRITTEN BY KIMBERLY MURO
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Photo by Jamie Wesley-Brown
On first listen of “SimpleStupid,” only half of the title rang true. Far from stupid, a perceived simplicity runs through Smurgy’s track.
The track opens with bouncy, bubbling arps, a bed to lay Smurgy’s soft, straight vocals.
Though the vocals follow a uniform melody for most of the track, Smurgy manages to create depth and diversity through his production choices. As the song crescendos, repeated lyrics of keeping the romantic endeavor at hand, “simple stupid,” only become more desperate and intense.
The intimate vocals become all the more striking with the introduction of complicated synths. They begin to almost drown in the intensity of the production, only to come out in the end refined and absolute as their introduction.
Smurgy’s vocal performance is confident and direct. The directness and constant flow of the lyrics were reminiscent of stream-of-consciousness writing, if it were to ever be so concrete and precise.
Small moments of glitch and slight distortion throughout the track bring the two lines of vocals and instrumental into a single cohesive unit. Short, almost minuscule breaks in the track keep the concept of romance’s fragility afloat in the overall playful production.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this track is finding something new after every listen. On first listen, you may mistake a choir of ethereal vocal layering for more synths, or skip over the flurrying sound of camera flashes.
Every listen seems to reveal a new layer, making “SimpleStupid” a concentrated delivery of calculated production choices, anchored by dreamy, ethereal vocal performance.