An independent artist from the Capital of Silicon Valley, Vidal has been impressing his local Californian crowd for the better part of a year, bringing his own brand of alternative hip-hop to a blossoming audience. After making his debut earlier this year with ‘Prequel’, Vidal has now stepped things up a notch, building on his rising wave of momentum with the brilliant ‘The Devil’s Eyes’.
Combining elements of hip-hop, blues and contemporary RnB with a talent for emotive and unmistakably honest lyrics, Vidal has crafted a sound that is bold and refreshing, but also wonderfully familiar, offering the best of both worlds in a way that few artists have been able to master. On his sophomore single, Vidal is back at this creative best, building a soulful new release personifies the thin line between love and pain.
Built to impress with a calculated blend of lo-fi, hip-hop, and blues sounds, ‘The Devil’s Eyes’ is a rare example of both emotional and musical maturity, offering not just heavy, melodic tones, but also an enchanting sense of atmosphere and intention. An impressive medley of distinctive, upbeat moments, solitary flourishes, and vivid trap hi-hits, the single assembles itself as a shifting, increasingly transient musical journey.
Diverse and wonderfully eclectic, ‘The Devil’s Eyes’ pieces itself together almost seamlessly, offering delicate undercurrents of ambient piano chords, slow-burning RnB vocals, quick-fire percussive strikes, and an immersive hip-hop groove. As the song progresses, darker, blues-infused guitar rips through the track, bringing a new energy to the piece that completes the unfolding musical adventure.
Bolstered by the diverse nature of the instrumentals, Vidal weaves his tale of love, romance, and self-destruction painting a vivid and all too relatable picture. In his own words, Vidal described the song as “a song about the battle between self-love, romantic love, and self-destruction”, and true to form, it goes a long way to explain the diverse and shifting nature of the single. While casual listeners will undoubtedly find enjoyment in the ever-changing soundscape that Vidal has created, it’s the most focused and perceptive crowds that will really be rewarded by the single.
It’s a single of deceptive depth and expansive scale, one that accurately charts Vidal’s descent into destruction. While the music holds an intense emotional weight, it’s Vidal’s vocals that really make the piece a heartfelt triumph. While firmly held in a rap style, they drift between isolated and lonely, to upbeat and almost optimistic, before eventually plunging into the midst of confusion, operating with a low-key, muddled style that is perfectly reflected in his whispered delivery.
As diverse as it might be, 'The Devil's Eyes' is built with purpose and forethought, striking a balance that ensures it stays enjoyable, as well as reflective. A triumphant both artistically, musically, and hopefully, commercially, ‘The Devil’s Eyes’ is simply unmissable.
You can stream the new single today on both Spotify and Soundcloud, and be sure to follow Vidal on his social media pages below for all the latest news and releases.
Score: 9/10
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