British duo Wallflower have created something beautiful here with Say You Won’t Ever.
Wallflower combines the efforts of established tech-house DJ/vocalist Alison Marks with pianist Leah Floyeurs. Together they have created a bewitching piece of music that leaves you wanting more – luckily the accompanying remix package provides plenty of satisfaction.
The acoustic piano/vocal piece is a beautifully simple yet powerful song, with the vocal hook ‘say you won’t leave me’ really drawing you in. The lyrics are dark and turn sinister towards the end of the song, describing an obsessive love story. Alison Marks delivers a delicate yet eerie vocal performance similar to the sultry tones of Lana Del Ray. The vocal production keeps her voice crisp and very present – listening with headphones on you wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking she was standing right in front of you. The accompanying piano part is moody but very bright, pushing and pulling the rhythm, giving a natural flow to the song.
Of all the remixes, the Deetron version is my favourite, providing a beautiful soundscape to offset the tragic nature of the lyrics. The drums settle in to a steady groove from the start, coupled with a pulsating synth line that continually moves the track along.
Deetron takes a darker and heavier approach with his T-Line mix, swaying more towards a bass driven deep-house track. He uses a modulating bass pattern to drive the song, this time accenting the misguided love story rather than counteracting it. Deetron utilises vocal chopping to great effect, keeping the vocal line present yet letting the synths and percussion shine through.
The last remix from Asadinho takes the original down the nu-disco route, but still manages to retain the dark message of the song. A strong kick and snare with an almost funk like bass-line punctuate the song, really pumping the speakers. Asadinho adds a chilling piano line to the first half of the song that creates a feeling of uncertainty. But as the songs builds, vocal harmonies and some powerful bass swells are added and the song starts to feel more like an electro-esque dance floor hit.
Defected have put out a great record here and I’m really hoping that Wallflower will continue to develop and produce some great music. Their song-writing prowess really shines through and I’m excited to hear what original pieces Wallflower will put out and the inevitable remixes to follow.
You can get the release here.
Faris Sabbah
