Bellamy King – We Can Still Be Friends (2021)
When two friends who have not seen each other in years meet again, there is often a new tension even if the spark they felt before reignites. These moments and the ensuing tension have been taken up by Bellamy King and woven into the feel-good single ‘We Can Still Be Friends’. With the help of Dynext43 and ØZZYMANDIAS, King draws inspiration from hookup culture and the different ways people react to it.
While King grew up surrounded by RnB and soul music, his own releases branch out in different directions. Taking his experience with the piano and violin, he wraps his musicality around the EDM production style of Dynext43. After meeting ØZZYMANDIAS randomly through a Craigslist ad, his engineering and production style has been artfully added to the mix.
‘We Can Still Be Friends’ has an opening that steadily builds like a creeping mist rising in the morning. The synths have a slight 80’s touch to them as they insinuate themselves in your brain. The creeping softness of the melody gives way on the chorus for a burst of beats that dump a barrel of good vibes on you. There is a lightness to the music that has you dancing on a rainbow of pastel colours. The beats have a subtle EDM touch to them that does not detract from the pure synthwave feeling of the melody. Artfully woven into the music is a tentative feeling like being in a place you know but feeling out of your element.
While the melody is a fusion of pop and dance that brings the tentative feelings of the narrative to the fore, King’s vocals are a petal-soft against your ears. He effortlessly draws you into the lyrics with a performance that feels like the embrace of an old friend. Infused into his performance is a curious push and pull of emotions that make you want to creep forward only to retreat. As the song progresses, you are filled with a sense that you can forget about what others think and feel what you do unabashedly.
Bellamy King with Dynext43 and ØZZYMANDIAS weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions, feel-good vibes and honesty in ‘We Can Still Be Friends’. With soft vocals that pull you into the lyrics, he embraces you like an old friend. Below this comfortable meeting is a fusion melody that lifts you up while filling you with the sense of being out of your element.
Find out more about Bellamy King on website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
