Cristal B. – Happy Instead (2022)
After helping us confront the darkness inside with ‘My Therapist’, Cristal B. led us into an honest look at heartbreak through ‘Bittersweet’. She is now bringing a delicate balance of happy summer vibes and melancholic vulnerability, through her single ‘Happy Instead’. Delving into feelings of anxiety and depression, the single touches on those instances when people urge others to just think happy thoughts to get rid of their anxiety.
Using a light-hearted melody, the lyrics offer the vulnerable side tapping into the exhaustion of fighting inner demons and desperately wishing that the fix was as simple as happy thoughts. Offering a little escape from reality, the track has a much deeper message that shines with raw power. Continuing her honest look at the world, Cristal B. will have you moving to the music while awash with the emotions of the lyrics.
The slapping beats that open ‘Happy Instead’ grab your attention, while the spoken word vocals in the opening provide the inspiration for the track. There is a rather upbeat feeling to the melody that makes you feel like you are relaxing on cotton-soft clouds. Those beats from the opening continue through the single, causing your head to bop to the sound. As you head into the chorus, a wash of higher tones take you gliding on warm air currents, giving you the sensation of weightlessness. It is a melody that has been packed with good vibes, which is rather at odds with the vocals. You can’t listen to the melody without feeling some of the positivity that has been infused into the notes.
After being told to think happy thoughts in the opening vocals, Cristal B. draws you into some important inner thoughts. There is a consideration of all the things that anxiety and depression cause that you try to hide from other people with a happy smile. The upbeat floating vibes of the melody creep into her performance as the delivery takes on a catchy pop movement. The lightness of the performance is tempered by the lyrics that are melancholic, as they wish for an easy fix to the depressing thoughts and emotions that crowd your senses. Through the single, she perfectly balances anxiety and depression with happiness, to paint a rather accurate picture of how people are going through life.
Balancing upbeat and happy vibes with melancholic vulnerability, Cristal B. has you bopping to the music while soaking up anxiety and a wish for an easy emotional fix in ‘Happy Instead’. From start to finish, the melody is a floating light bop that has you relaxing into the rather happy vibes. It is her vocals that bring the contrasting sadness as she considers the inner turmoil that is hidden by a happy smile.
Find out more about Cristal B. on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
