SINGLE SPOTLIGHT: drewsyourfriend - “Congratulations, You’re Amazing!”
Released: February 3rd, 2023
Drew Etheridge, aka drewsyourfriend, has dropped a heavily distorted, lo-fi track entitled “Congratulations, You’re Amazing!” as of February 3rd. The emotional expression within the lyrical content is clear that this song paints a story of pain and overcoming some sort of toxic relationship. Drew leaves no question about it; What hurts you haunts you. Today, let’s delve into this gritty, emo hip-hop vibe of a track and (hopefully) convince you on a spin or two while we do it!
Even if the video or song weren’t necessarily intending to do so, I get an almost found-footage style of horror film vibe off of this track. There’s probably nothing ‘scary’ about it, per se, but it truly does resonate with me like something out of the V/H/S horror anthology film series. Perhaps it’s the filter out over the video, perhaps it’s the effects and mixing used in the song, or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to mention V/H/S in a review that it has absolutely nothing to do with – the world may never know.
Coming back into focus of the song, though, this is absolutely a departure from the initial drewsyourfriend musical mantra we found in Prom, Forever. This track feels more like the days of Inhansed material, with visceral, raw, unfiltered (ironic, I know, given the amount of effects heard used on the song) bitterness about whoever the person in question that has left the scars on our narrator, presumably Drew, is. It sits somewhere between an emotional trap-like ballad reminiscent of Lil Peep and the mellow, melodic, tearful darkness of Joji. While the distortion adds its character to the song and the intended lo-fi element, it does also make the listening experience a mildly difficult one; But perhaps that aids in emphasizing the misery endured by the narrator, and generates a sort of virtual reality experience for the listener – but that’s likely not the case.
Regardless of the jumbo-packed distortion, the song has its shine, no less. On top of the found-footage atmosphere the visual and audio create as mentioned above, it truly does feel like the production value is like a worn-out cassette tape, which provides a nice little metaphor for how emotionally worn-out our speaker in question is telling us they feel. Again, how intentional this was at any point in the song’s conception is completely impossible to know for sure, but in that perspective of it – it works out quite well. I could honestly see this song being used in a thriller somewhere down the line.
This dark, cynical side of drewsyourfriend is one I’m not sure how much more we’ll see in future material. As recalled from an interview I got to have with Drew late last year, the entire idea behind drewsyourfriend was to just approach songwriting in more of a fun, innocent, and peaceful sort of manner. Granted, this did not translate to shying completely away from hard-hitting subjects, but this dismal sort of environment that “Congratulations, You’re Amazing!” presents feels maybe a little outside of those bounds. I also appreciate the clear sarcasm behind the title, although maybe I’m misinterpreting the lyrics and feel of the song entirely, in which case it’s more genuine – but I like where my imagination currently puts it.
Even if I am 100% spot-on with any or all of the above, the core of what we’ve got here is simple contrast. Drew has a dynamic to his approach and what he can accomplish, anyone who has been following him since the Inhansed days is no stranger to that. But this sort of going from light to dark and then possibly back makes a good case on a grand scale of how the human psyche adapts to its experiences; How the range of what happens to you can influence the energy you harness and use to create. This statement makes no assumptions on Drew or his life, but rather acknowledges that he can switch it up when and where he chooses, even if unexpectedly.
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