Much like the bright likes of New York City, especially in the surreal fashion they’re depicted at the start of JidScan’s new music video, melodies come alive and bleed into one another effortlessly in “On Fire Tonight.” Though there’s a lot to behold within the video for the single, as well as the song itself, there isn’t a sense of overwhelming detail everywhere we turn. Instead, complexities are produced on a singular level in “On Fire Tonight,” lending postmodernity to a complicated songcraft that only the likes of JidScan and Ty Jack can produce for the masses this winter.
Breaking it down to its nuts and bolts, there’s no question whether or not this single has a lot in common with the lo-fi hip-hop movement – but I wouldn’t call it a product of a trend. Cosmetically, there’s definitely an ambient textural presence to the instrumentation that helps the flow of the lyrics and brings us a little closer to the substance of the song than we would be with less of a clandestine backdrop, but at the same time, I don’t think this is a track easily defined by its surface-level attributes. There’s too much going on between collaborators, quite frankly, for this to be the case.
Watch the video for “On Fire Tonight” below
The swagger that JidScan has as a performer here is really impressive, but he isn’t letting it shape the tone of his vocal. He’s going out of his way to keep his verses almost separate from the kaleidoscopic breakdown of harmonies transpiring seemingly all around him, but he’s also using the melodic instrumentation as a springboard from which to present us with his most intimate confessions, no matter what they might be. His might be a lonely road in this mix, but it’s one he dominates with extreme skill nonetheless.
I just started listening to this rapper a minute ago, but if this is a good example of his songwriting and execution in action, I’m going to keep him on my radar moving forward. JidScan and Ty Jack appear to have a pretty good time breaking out the grooves comprising “On Fire Tonight,” and judging from the reaction the song is getting from credible members of the indie press, they aren’t the only ones. I’ve got a good feeling about where both of these players are going, and after listening to this all-new single, I think you’re going to understand where I’m coming from.
