Kolade Olamide Ayodeji – Trap in the Night “some fresh lyrics and an unusual and appealing perspective on relationship difficulty”

The song has the big and bold structure and finish of any strong, power pop track. The instrumentation features a series of synths that add a slightly retro electronic vibe to the music, but for the most part the song gives off a dance-pop kind of vibe and the leading melody feeds into this mood well. The opening piano chords have the simplicity of mainstream pop music so the audience is quickly welcomed in and the music is made pretty accessible to all.

The opening verse showcases some fresh lyrics and an unusual and appealing perspective on relationship difficulty. The switch from the verse to the pre-chorus makes for an effective breakaway, this then evolves well into the hook section. The leading riff that plays during the hook takes the lead a little more so than the vocal does. This makes the hook perhaps a little less effective than if there was more focus on a harmonised vocal part or a more stand out melody, but this could be due to the level of the riff within the mix.

The development of the music and the structure of the song in general have a lot of strength. The benefit of having a leading riff represent the hook over a vocal part is that it’s easy to imagine a remix or alternative version of the track – the potential for a more intense, dance or even drum and bass style take on it would work brilliantly and draw in a whole new audience.

The leading vocal performance throughout the song has great style and strength. The artist carries each of the melodies well, and the emotion of the song is clearly quite genuine and this comes from both the sound of the voice and the scenes presented in the accompanying video.

By Rebecca Cullen

Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.