Kipani – Mediocracy (2021)
Kipani is no newcomer to The Other Side Reviews, with her elegant style of indie-pop having firmly dug its way into our hearts. With her single ‘Mediocracy’ and its accompanying music video, she turns her sound to the feeling of being insignificant even as you do your best. With a touch of rock added to her stunning pop sensibilities, she effortlessly fills your soul with the divided sense of trying hard and still feeling mediocre.
This division is brought to visual life through her video which is an outstanding yet conflicting performance. Continuing to draw on her classical training while turning her attention to her love of indie pop, Kipani has you falling in love with her sound all over again through this track. If you were not already a fan of her music, by the end of this track, you will be rushing to dive into her back catalogue.
‘Mediocracy’ opens with Kipani’s vocals delicately touching your ears. The light touch of her vocals tenderly touches on the fear and insecurity that many people feel. In the lead-up to the chorus, she extends an offer before rising on a wave of self-deprecation. The interplay of the tenderness on the verses and the rise on the chorus brings the divide of emotions to sonic life. Through the lyrics, she tugs at your heart while hits all the insecurities we all have on the head.
As her vocals touch on emotions and tug at your heart, the melody forms a rich basis for her voice. The light piano line on the chorus is touching as it instils the fragility of the vocals in your soul. The movement of the piano perfectly captures the tentative emotions of the verses. When the chorus hits, there is a swell of instrumentation that pulses into your senses. This helps the slighter more rock stylings of the vocals hit home. These two lines come together as the single works toward the crescendo.
Bringing all of this to visual life has been done in a minimalistic yet captivating manner. Over the opening verse, you see Kipani on her won in a warehouse. As the chorus rises, she opens a door and you see her with her band surrounded by dancers who represent the negativity of feeling insignificant. The use of two distinct visuals and the dancers in black is a wonderful choice as it simply yet effectively brings the message of the track to the video.
Kipani fills you with the dividing emotions of feeling insignificant while trying your hardest in ‘Mediocracy’. The movement of the track is stunning and highlights her musicality. The tender touch of the verses leads you to the thrust of rock on the chorus to drive the message of the track home. This is brought to stunning visuals in the music video that artfully uses dancers, locations and colours to show the divisions.
Find out more about Kipani on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
