Iris Bonet – What It’s Like (2021)
It is often easier to discard what we are feeling and leave it for another time. Iris Bonet is here to help us confront our feelings and work through them for a better understanding of ourselves and the world with ‘What It’s Like’. Touching on nostalgia and the sadness of losing things, she draws on the turbulent emotions we have faced during the pandemic. With some RnB mixed into soul and pop, she tackles feelings head-on.
Recorded in her home studio and completely self-produced, the single offers an honest and authentic look into her sound. While dragging up emotions many of us would rather remain hidden, she brings a soulful catharsis that you never knew you needed until you have it. If this is your first introduction to her sound, it will leave you eager to hear more.
‘What It’s Like’ plucks and slides into your senses with a mixture of 90s RnB and soul. There is a rich feeling to the music as it twirls around you like ribbons of satin. The richness of the melody helps you sink into the soundscape and let the vocals really hit with their message. The clicking tones and overall flow of the music have you swaying and grooving to it. While rich, there is a subtleness to the music. This lets it take up the lower spaces of the single while giving the vocals a chance to really shine.
Bonet’s vocals are a soulful line that rests in your skin like velvet. Her performance is as rich as the melody but also shines through the soundscape. The lyrics are relatable as she draws you into the contemplations of the track. While the majority of her performance is a smooth and soulful slide, there is a spoken word section that adds poignancy and connection to the single. The chorus, in particular, is so easy to connect with and will stick with you long after the single has ended.
Iris Bonet tackles emotions we want to hide head-on while wrapping you in the silken flows of ‘What It’s Like’. The music has a richness that sinks into your soul but is understated to allow the vocals to really shine. Bonet’s voice is as silken as the melody as it brings a soulful vibe to the emotional confrontation of the lyrics.
Find out more about Iris Bonet on her website, Instagram and Spotify.
