“Machine” by Mandy Slate is a pop song atop a clean, prog background. As the crisp guitar work slides frenetically through the background, Mandy carves out a wonderfully memorable melody. Her bright tone ornaments the syllabic, cleverly-phrased lyricism perfectly. Everything about this song just oozes genuine, creative, effortless coolness.
The song begins with an impressive harmonized guitar lick. This high-pitched motif runs through a lot of the piece, so it’s smart to give it the spotlight at the outset. Pretty soon, Mandy comes in singing: “I’ve turned into a machine / It happened kind of quickly.” She lands on these off-kilter yet intensely satisfying chord tones, sometimes leaping precariously and other times gently floating down the scale. Not to mention, the way her melody interplays with the guitar melody is both complicated and inviting.
The interesting thing about this song is that, although it doesn’t feel like it, it’s actually pretty repetitive. The production does a good job of varying the dynamics and textures enough that you don’t actually notice. Mandy adds a lot of variations to her performance too that provide a little flair of intrigue (i.e. high, belted notes and slight melody changes). While this form is common in pop music, the pieces that make up “Machine” are so genuinely individual, the song as a whole becomes a stand-out.
If this sounds at all alluring to you, you should listen to Mandy Slate!—and on that note, follow her on your choice of social media.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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