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Title: Freak You Beat
Length: 2.58
Genre(s): Alternative Rock, New Wave
Label: Kaleidoscope Records
Written By : Adam Black
Produced By: Gregg Blunt
Taken From The Album: Intoxicated Mind____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2016 has had it's highs and it's lows but with the summer approaching the industry seems to be picking up again and that has caused an influx of new music from new artists and old stars alike and now the eldest of the two Black brother's is coming back into the world of music, Adam started his career back in 2010 as an actor in a crime drama that a role which he played before the show ending in 2012 he then was cast in a comedy show but he quickly left after the sudden death of his little sister the infamous Emerald Black, who died in early 2013 following her death came Adam's first brush with music as he released his own version of his sister first and only single "Politically Correct". He version faired better than her own but only found Mild success possibly due to the controversy surrounding Adam and then boyfriend Dustyn Blue at the time, though the song failed to gain much attention it did gain the attention of Neavah Martinez the owner of FREEDOM Records and Adam signed a deal with them, fast forward into 2015 and Adam had 5 top 10 single a top 5 EP and a platinum selling debut album, however Adam left FREEDOM and the public eye shortly after the albums release and wasn't heard from again until May 2016. Adam teased new music this past week when an article abiut him and his new label boss Jordan Snow surfaced online and true to the articles word his new single is here!
"Freak You Beat" sees Adam take a complete u-turn musically his debut EP "Chemical Reaction" featured pop and dance based tracks and his debut album "Memories" featured soul and jazz styled tracks, however "Freak You Beat" is far from pop, dance, soul or jazz, the song is in fact a mid-tempo alternative rock and new wavestyle track with harsh and heavy guitar riffs and a much more serious and harsh vocal delivery from the 26 year-old, lyrically the song is much more darker and depressing too, don't let the title fool you beat lyrically the song describes someone witnessing violence within a relationship or just in general, the song is short but to the point and does tug on the heart strings just enough to make the listener have empathy for the women being described as beaten throughout the song, as well as empathy for Adam who describes also in the lyrics that he feels as if he is the next victim of this violent beater plotting to avoid it from happening to him.
"Freak You Beat" serves as the lead single from Adam's upcoming second album which is rumoured to be called "Intoxicated Mind", the song is also the first new material from Adam since the release of the last single from his previous album a release that took place back in early 2015, but will this new direction pay off for Adam had he gone to dark and depressing compared to his previous material, his previous album featured some depressing lyrics but now his added depressing sounds to and we are not quite sure if this is plain stupid or a stoke of genius we'll let you be the judge of that and judge the song yourself and see if you like it, critical reception for the song has been positive thus far.
The promotion for the single is said to be far greater than anything else that Adam has released there are rumours now circulating that the whole article about Adam and label boss Jordan Snow was a set up and decoy by the label to hype up the attention around Adam and if that if the case then it certainly seems to have worked, not only is that circulating but Adam is rumoured also to be doing many live performances of the song, as well as television interviews, radio interviews. The music video for the song was recently also highlighted as being released soon which will add to hype of the song, the video is reportedly simple but gets to the point that it needs to portray, "Freak You Beat" will be released through Kaleidoscope Records on June 4, 2016 and will also serve as Adam's first release under the label having quietly and secretly signed with them earlier this year.
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CRITICAL RESPONSE_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Freak You Beat" received several positive reviews from critics. Nisha Diu of The Sunday Telegraph described "Freak You Beat" as "...a moody, energetic anthem underscored by insistent drums and a harsh vocal..." Popjustice described the song as "brilliant" and Digital Spy entertainment reporter David Balls labelled the song as a "glorious slice of alt-rock". In its review, Allmusic said the song "echoes the power pop of The Bangles and The Go-Go's". Nott all reviews were positive; Artistdirect's Nathan Atnikov labelled the song, along with the entire preview of the new album, as "musically bland", and as "pedestrian grunge music". Frazier McAlpine, on a BBC blog, described "Freak You Beat" as "grumpily delivered", and called Adam Black's voice as "Angey" and "aggressive"
Writing for The A.V. Club, Annie Zaleski called the track the "most stunning song" from Black's career thus far she commended Black's "vulnerable" vocal delivery and the "strident tone" of the recording, which Zaleski felt was "deeply affecting." Dan Keenan from Impact felt that its lyrics showcased that pop music is not always equivalent with insincerity. Writing for Pitchfork Media, Carrie Battan felt that "Freak You Beat" sounded like "a midtemmo beast" that deserved to be successful. Jordan Sargent from Spin felt that "Freak You Beat" positively exemplified a "darkness" among the lyrics and praised Adam's new musical direction, which he credited to having him "finally finding himself nti only as an artist but in his personal life too". The New York Times' Jon Caramanica was unsure why Black "painted such a dark picture of himself" with the lyrics, and felt that the self-punishment was unnecessary given the strength of "Freak You Beat" and his previous material overall. John Preston from Polari believed that the track was a worthy substitute for fans that "mourn the overall departure" of the mainstream pop sound of Adam's previous material and raved that it was an example of "airy and gleaming brilliance".
Two critics from Pitchfork Media reviewed "Freak You Beat". Jenn Pelly ranked the track as the twelfth-best song released in 2016 thus far. She spoke favorably of its lyrical content, commending the chorus lyrics. Jillian Mapes complimented the "bluntness" that was delivered throughout the song, and suggested that the track had "anthem potential". She praised the verses for verbalizing domestic violence issues that are often associated with young women, with particular acclaim being placed on the verses. She concluded her review by noting that the song should be recognized as a "declaration of force and a song about the power of vulnerability" rather than confusing it for an "admission of weakness".
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LYRICS______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I’m falling down and I'm feeling so high
I wanna shoot you down from the devil inside
You’re working out to block out the bad
You’d better lock me up or else your gonna go mad
Between the drugs and the blurred out lines
I saw you punching with a freak you beat
I looked in shock as you beat her bad
It’s all blood to river for a freak you beat
For a freak you beat
For a freak you beatIt circulates while I'm faking to sleep
I’m working on a plan, as you creep on me
I-I-I-I-I think your dying because I'm making you cry
Between the drugs and the blurred out lines
I saw you punching with a freak you beat
I looked in shock as you beat her bad
It’s all blood to river for a freak you beat
For a freak you beat
For a freak you beatI-I-I-I-I think your dying because I'm making you cry
Between the drugs and the blurred out lines
I saw you punching with a freak you beat
I looked in shock as you beat her bad
It’s all blood to river for a freak you beat
For a freak you beat
For a freak you beat_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SOUNDS LIKE_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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