Synth Single Review: “Just Fine” by Fonz Tramontano & Calida J

by Karl Magi

Fonz Tramontano & Calida J’s “Just Fine” expresses melancholy, resilience and a strong sense of self-worth. The song begins as calming notes move like ripples across a smooth pond, while the rhythm rebounds with guiding strength. The main melody is filled with resolute tenderness as Calida J’s silvery, sweet voice moves with an aching touch.

The underlayer is opaline and Fonz Tramontano has written a melody full of hurt, touched with resilience and freedom, pulling me deeper into the song’s message. The lead synth glows with pastel radiance while the undulating bass rumbles and elevated notes glisten like hopeful points of light. The main melody sways with soothing sensations, mingling strength and affection as the low end throbs.

Calida J’s voice carries a hushed, caressing quality while sparkling tones hover like fireflies in the velvet darkness. The melody’s gentle, nostalgic emotion radiates as the vocals slide past with silky ease and the song comes to a quiet, reflective close.

The storyteller says she’s just fine while “all alone, just killing time, on my phone, just scroll on by.” She isn’t thinking of the song’s subject and she knows they aren’t thinking of her either. She realizes that’s just fine because “I’m all grown and I’m all right, be my own damn Valentine.” She decides she doesn’t need a plus one, because “solo is fine.”

“Everything fades away, walking these streets with ghosts of yesterday,” and she feels it wasn’t meant to be the way it is, as she’s “chasing rainbows that turn out clouds of gray.” She accepts this and adds that she’s still fine. She tells the other person to do their thing, and she’ll do hers.

“I’ll see you back home, sometime near 9:00,” which is just fine. She points out, “I’m making memories, I’m living life,” and with a whole world to see outside, “I’m not on hold, yeah, I’m seeing mine.”

Synth Single Review: “Being” by Atmolifter

by Karl Magi

Atmolifter’s “Being” creates a mood of galactic contemplation. Flickering notes grow in strength as a swelling background exhales flowing luminosity. Breathiness and gentle motion permeate the soundscape while a trickling, twirling synth ripples through the mix. The rhythm drives powerfully, forming an irresistible foundation as the synth exhales with velvety grace.

Circling notes generate continual forward motion, the gliding backdrop evoking images of drifting through cool blue light. Celestial tones spin like constellations, radiating a cosmic sheen and transporting me into another realm. The driving underlayer guides the music onward while dancing notes hypnotize as they shift.

The lead synth reaches out with azure gentleness, caressing the senses as thumping percussion and cutting bass create a striking counterpoint. Auroral notes add a melancholy tint while leaping arpeggios induce a trance-like feeling, enhancing the sensation of floating through cerulean space. The lead synth returns with a melody full of tenderness and thoughtful deliberation, carrying me above the world as the track subsides into silence.

Synth Single Review: “Lonely Together” by Autumn White

Autumn White’s “Lonely Together” interweaves affection and mournful emotion. The song opens as towering drums mingle with phosphorescent notes, transmitting a melody rich with loving depth. Autumn White’s voice is deep and sorrow-tinged, carrying the affectionate melody with conviction.

Prismatic notes join a weighty rhythm as his voice moves effortlessly from grounded depth to trembling height. Gigantic percussion surges while the vocal performance reaches me with emotive conviction, mingled pain and care.

The way his vocals shift from breathy elegance to a solid low register deepens the emotional connection. Laser-like notes flash as limpid tones trickle and caring warmth radiates through his silky delivery. The diamond twinkle of elevated synth flashes as colliding drums flow outward and the song gently closes.

“In the spaces in between, when the air gets cold,” the narrator thinks of the way the song’s subject holds his arm so they don’t feel alone. There’s something in the back of his mind that he wrote down because “I couldn’t say anything at all.” The message reads, “Don’t wait for me, you’ll be waiting forever, and if we have to die, I promise you we’ll be lonely together.”

They’ll be together “in the space between the stars, in the cold blue light.” The storyteller has friends in high places who are “coming down tonight.” He asks if the other person is ready to leave it all behind, and as the song concludes, he wonders, “Is it better to be lonely together?”

Synth Single Review: “Ride Again (Rogue FX Remix)” by Liquid 1nc

by Karl Magi

Liquid 1nc’s “Ride Again (Rogue FX Remix)” deepens the funky flow of the original. The track kicks off as a hollow synth and clapping percussion are joined by an accelerating beat, funky strings intertwining while Rogue FX’s chanted vocals add an ultra-cool feeling. The groove is undeniably strong as a keyboard brings a minor-key shimmy and the rhythm punches smoothly, disco strings singing with joyful energy.

Angular notes slice through with clean radiance, carrying the wriggling, shimmying melody while smoothly flowing vocals capture the music’s emotional tenor. I enjoy the steadily gliding underpinnings as Rogue FX’s vocals flow like melted chocolate and the strings frolic with brilliant luminosity. A hollow, metallic synth bops past with chilled-out, positive energy. The underlayer thuds with an undeniably muscled groove before the song ends on Rogue FX’s distinctive, fresh voice.