Quaint and breezy, GABUISLOST showcases bits of lowkey charm in his performances and melodies.
A quaint and pretty slice of bedroom pop and indie-pop from GABUISLOST’s debut record. Swirling around themes of love that is further emphasized with GABU’s breezy vocal presence and blissful production that not only touches upon lo-fi pop, but also touches upon drum and bass like on ‘say you love me’ amidst a spare synthesizer, ‘WON’T BELIEVE’ alongside some sweet guitar and bass licks, and ‘two’ that slides in back and forth amidst pretty keys, and especially cloud rap with some of the calming melodic tunes on ‘LOWKEY’ with Breezoo Tha Goat’s verse that adds to that soothing vibe, and especially ‘LOVE ROCKSTAR’ that could’ve fit on one of Bladee’s records due to its hushed melodies and glossy synths and swampy bass.
Admittedly, while the mix of drum and bass and cloud rap makes refreshing combinations amidst this side of bedroom pop, GABUISLOST still has his influences on his sleeves. While comparing their vocal timbre and melodic tune to Joji is not a bad thing since Joji makes good songs here and there, it does dampen GABU’s unique flair in this record. And speaking of, some tracks in this record does feel a bit derivative and plain, ‘crush on you’ feels like a track that could’ve popped off in the early blooms of bedroom pop in the mid-2010s, ‘why am i still in la’ sounded like a Joji reject in his early strains of lo-fi indie pop, and while ‘two’ sounds pleasant, it does take nods to pinkpantheress to some extent, especially with those repeated mantras.
But for what they’ve presented in their debut record, GABUISLOST still plants enough seeds that showcase a sense of cohesion in their exploration of certain sounds and styles. While they’re carrying certain influences on their sleeves that unfortunately swallow their creative prowess on specific patches, the potential for something great is in there. For now, it’s sweet and breezy enough to make you let loose and chill with your friends.
Favorite Tracks: say you love me, distant, LOWKEY, Love Rockstar.
Least Favorite Track: why am i still in la