toygattiDAYDREAMZ - Tommy Del Barrio
Intro:
Today, I’d like to share with you the website’s very first artist submission. Special thanks to Tommy Del Barrio for sharing his music with us. Everything about this submission had given me a good impression, prior to listening. I can say though that this project did not disappoint. You can follow Tommy on Instagram & listen to more of his work.
Strengths:
One of the first things you notice while listening is Tommy’s ability to both harmonize and rap. This results in many different flows/melodies being heard throughout the tracklist. One of my favorite rapping moments is on the song “Lol,” which has a bouncy yet captivating flow. His voice when rapping definitely gives me Steve Lacy vibes, but not in a bad way at all. Moments like the last verse on the intro song, Technicolour, showcase his ability to put together solid wordplay and rhyming.
The singing, however, is the main focus on this album and makes up the majority of the tracklist. The harmonies used usually compliment the instrumentals very well. Tommy even has decent range with his voice. My favorite song that showcases this is “So.Cal” where he hits a nice upper register in the background layering vocals. The song writing throughout the album is actually pretty solid too.
One main theme picked up on was the love/heartbreak element like on Unrequited; which you can guess is about unrequited love. The other main theme I picked up on was the topics of battling and overcoming mental illness. It usually is talked about in a reflective way. The song HM02 is the perfect example of this. In the last verse he opens up about his challenges, questions the concept of life/death, and ultimately accepts wanting to choose life over death; despite accepting both. I enjoyed how honest and introspective Tommy is all over the album.
Lastly, the production on this album keeps chill and mellow vibe/aesthetic. However, it’s definitely far from being samey as there’s a lot of variety in beats. The upbeat summer chords on $$$ are very different sonically from the laidback-trap elements of Videogames. Overall though, the project blends many different genres from Hip-Hop, to Bedroom Pop, and more. The engineering here was probably the biggest surprise for me as the quality of all the mixes are actually fairly decent compared to many other upcoming artists.
Weaknesses:
I don’t have to many negatives about this project but there are a few. I think his influences are noticeable which may be a turn off for few people. It wasn’t an issue for me at all, but I really couldn’t stop myself from thinking about Steve Lacy when hearing the rapping voice. However voices are uncontrollable so I don’t put that against him. I would encourage Tommy to just work more on developing his sound, specifically his singing vocals. I think a song like HM02 would be enhanced with having more power in his voice during the chorus, respectively.
Only other thing would be that not every mix here is the cleanest. The few moments of unpleasant mixes usually happen with the guitars sometimes. The main example I think of is the 2nd track “Sexdrugsrock&Roll”. Here the guitar harshly overpowers his vocals during the song’s chorus. Otherwise, the only other time this occurs is on Daydreamin where the guitar isn’t as harsh or overpowering, but makes some of the vocals inaudible.
Other Thoughts
Great length, not too long or short
“HM02” as reference to the Pokemon attack “Fly” is genius lol
Cover art is well designed
Overall:
I highly recommend this album album for anyone looking for new music/artists to listen to. It really is a project that exemplifies a large amount of raw potential. There are many songs I really enjoyed from this submission and I can safely say I look forward to Tommy’s future releases. If you’re into artists like Brockhampton or Steve Lacy (or even if you don’t), then you are sure to love a majority of this album. Thank you for reading and be sure to check out the music for yourself below.
