Meadowhip – Unexceptional (2021)
With her debut single ‘Unexceptional’, meadowhip brings a light-hearted eye roll and sarcastic lyrics to your ears. While an ode to the average mediocre white guy, the single is actually what launched this musical project. Drawing inspiration from that one guy we all know in real life, the jangly tones and pop hooks bring a swagger and questionable competence to life.
Cara Walkam never considered being a solo artist until she started writing this single with Chelsea Warner. After suffering a near-fatal haemorrhagic stroke in 2020, she realised she has a lot to say and no idea how long she has to say it. With an emphasis on the exploration of self and society, she launched her solo career and is here to tackle the big topics as well as the slightly snarky ones.
The hazy and slightly wobbly opening of ‘Unexceptional’ has you sinking into the soundscape. There is a wonderful dreamy feeling to the melody that comes through the hazy tones that rest on the moving beats. The beats really get your head moving to them while your brain rides the softness of the higher levels of the melody. While there is a dream-pop feeling to the melody, it merges and swirls with some neo-soul and RnB sensibilities. This combination forms a rich soundscape that you can’t help but slide down.
The vocals match the blended movement of the melody perfectly. In the opening verse, you are hit with a dreamy pop flow before backing vocals slide you into some soulful RnB. There is a moment when the melody drops away for the vocals to really shine. This is beautiful and showcases the power of meadowhip’s vocals. The lyrics have a smirk resting in them while the vocal delivery brings a light-hearted jest to the tone. While this softens the blow of the lyrics, it still allows the message to hit.
Using a blending of pop, neo-soul and RnB, meadowhip fills you with light-hearted snark in ‘Unexceptional’. The single is a wonderful introduction to her sound which offers maturity with a side of playful eye-rolling. There is a lot to love about the song from the powerful vocals to the smooth arrangement of the melody.
Find out more about meadowhip on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
