It’s up against a true force to be reckoned with in the form of Estani’s lead vocal, but the guitar parts featured in the new single “Mr. Personality” definitely have as much to contribute to the song as any of the verses being sung do. Colorizing the backdrop with a bit of retro funk, these strings are the perfect complement to the tonality of the keys and the bassline, both of which seem to intertwine amidst the climax of the chorus brilliantly well. This is a volcanic new single, and quite honestly just what I expected from Estani this August.
The way this song was mixed reminds me a lot of the vocal pop revival scene of the early ‘80s but with just a touch more emphasis on texture than what the old school was allowing. When Estani is strutting around with the groove, we can feel her moves at the microphone just as we do anything her backing band is producing at the forefront of the mix, which is telling of the detail that went into even the more minute elements of the production quality here. Tight musicianship is one thing, but this is a track and music video that feels like the full package.
As previously noted, the bass and the piano elements here have a lot to exchange with one another, and it’s largely because of the conservative drum parts that we’re able to enjoy the back and forth as much as we are. To get us into the retro nightclub vibe, Estani is pulling out all the compositional stops, but she’s remained relatively straightforward with her vocal delivery, which should help to reconcile her growing fan base with the listeners she won over at the start of her career not too long ago.
I really love what Estani is doing with her sound at the moment, and listeners who aren’t paying attention to her music need to go out of their way to give “Mr. Personality” a spin as soon as possible. As a music video and as a single on its own, “Mr. Personality” is every bit the identity piece its title suggests it could be, and I hope that we have the chance to hear more material like it from the source before the year has come to a conclusion – for the sake of the pop music underground in the states at the very least.
