For Granted, the first single from Korean-American producer Yaeji’s debut album With A Hammer, is a bit of a bait and switch. But it’s a rather satisfying one, at that. Upon the announcement of With A Hammer, interest peaked into which version of Yaeji we might get on her debut LP. Would it be the scuzzy party girl of house banger Raingirl, the syrupy R&B crooner of 29, or the K-pop star of On More. The answer, for all accounts, is a little bit of all of them.
For Granted starts by keeping its cards close. Yaeji’s voice takes the lead, instantly throwing out a hook heavy melody on the verses. An escalating synth modulation joins here, then a mellow hip-hop adjacent beat. But as Yaeji continues casting her pop-sided spells, the scenery around her continues to evolve and swell. Backspins, backbeats and synths grow in urgency. Eventually, everything recedes to bass as Yaeji speak-sings the song’s simple bridge. It’s like the shoreline receding before a tsunami. “Let it flow,” Yaeji croons, the words falling out her mouth like honey and reverberating in the space around her. Then the floodgates open. During the track’s final minute, For Granted quite literally combusts into breakneck drum’n’bass. It may be a tried and true trick, but it’s an unexpected and fresh palette for Yaeji, and juxtaposed with the quiet ease of her harmonies, it’s made all the more thunderous.
Listen to For Granted below.
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