Music Assessment: Katseye – Gabriela

Right here’s slightly secret concerning the scores on this weblog, and it could appear counterintuitive. I not often enterprise under a “6” on my total scale, however any music that hits under this mark has a particular place in my coronary heart. In truth, I are inclined to “like” them greater than lots of the songs rated within the 7’s. I could not ever wish to pay attention to them once more, however not less than they made me really feel one thing. Such is the case with Katseye’s now-viral hit Gnarly. I nonetheless suppose that music reaches for a quirkiness it doesn’t absolutely attain and feels overly manufactured to create virality, nevertheless it’s definitely not boring. I’ve to understand the sheer nerve even when I don’t love the precise music.

So, in a humorous twist Katseye’s new single Gabriela will earn the next ranking although I discover it boring compared to its predecessor. For this music, the group scored a Charli XCX co-write, which is sensible since Gnarly bent over backwards to copy a sure Brat power. Nonetheless, the quirkiest factor about Gabriela is its cleaning soap operatic video. By itself, I don’t see the music turning many heads. The women have added a Latin twist to their sound, married to a moody mid-tempo groove that by no means develops into something extra. It’s all a bit ‘Camila Cabello circa 2018,’ which I can’t say is a pop type I miss.

Mainstream pop music has slowed to such an inert tempo over the previous decade and Gabriela suits proper in with that pattern. I’m positive I sound like a damaged report, however the music may do with a serious kick within the butt. Think about if its power matched the madcap mugging within the music video. The considered a brand new world woman group like Katseye is so thrilling. I want their music would seize that pleasure in a method that feels distinctive to them. Gabriela merely trudges alongside, carried out properly however biking across the similar repetitive hooks with out the payoff I crave. Within the grand scheme of issues, Gnarly can nonetheless put on its “4.25” ranking like a badge of honor as a result of a “7.5” is much extra frequent and far more forgettable.

Grade: C