In ““>Can’t Stop Thinking Bout You,” the star single and music video from his debut LP The Counterfeit Revival, indie singer and songwriter Sanya N’Kanta delivers one of the most unwaveringly experimental pop/rock jams of the spring season so far in what amounts to nearly four minutes of sonic decadence mixed with beautifully melodic discordance.
Shoving two conflicting grooves together with a violent thrust that will ultimately set the tone for the entirety of the song that follows, the instrumental introduction that exists between our first pressing play on “Can’t Stop Thinking Bout You” and the moment we meet N’Kanta’s lead vocal barely lasts longer than ten seconds, but in this precious time, we’re invited into a musical dreamscape that could eventually prove to be inescapable as this artist finds his footing in the modern industry.
Sanya N’Kanta might be a new face to most of us who follow independent pop, rock and crossover R&B, but that didn’t stop him from bringing a lot of brawniness to the table with him in this rookie release. There’s a muscularity to the presence of most every instrumental component in this track, bringing to mind stoner acts like Kyuss and rock legends like Black Sabbath, yet nothing beyond the guitar parts would qualify as being even remotely metallic in tone.
N’Kanta pushes the pummeling textures of the percussion to the front of the mix as much and as often as he can in “Can’t Stop Thinking Bout You,” and while there’s still plenty of room for him to develop his songwriting style a bit more in the future, I’m hoping to hear more of the weighty swing exhibited in this track – as well as its parent album – a lot sooner than later.
