Sporting a textured bassline presence but ultimately defined by its melodic faceting as it’s sourced from the vocal, Sane’s debut single “Average” is anything but a simplistic hip-hop recording from a rook still trying to find his sound. On the contrary, Sane approaches his verses with a swagger more akin to a veteran style than a young greenhorn figuring out his place in the indie hierarchy, and his overall delivery matches the pedigree he presents himself as being a part of. From a lyrical standpoint, there’s definitely a self-awareness and general desire to be exposed and unfiltered in this track that immediately influences the way we’re going to interpret the narrative, and while it’s not quite emo rap in the vein of Juice Wrld, there’s definitely a sensitivity here that I can’t wait to hear more of in the future. Raw emotionality finds a home in this sleekly arranged rap ballad, and though Sane is a new face to most of us, he’s rolling like a seasoned pro in this debut and establishing himself as an artist as committed to poetry as he is melodicism.
The lyrics in “Average” absolutely have an esoteric quality to them, and in order to fully appreciate the depth of the narrative, I think you have to look at the verses here through the lens of the music. Isolating the two from each other only creates negative contrast; in my opinion, the harmony we run into around the fifty-second mark in the track both humanizes the words and gives them a foundational sensibility that makes them wholly accessible to us.
The beat doesn’t illustrate the mood quite as well as the melodic components here do, but it isn’t failing to contribute to the story being told at all – everything in this mix is serving a purpose, with virtually no fat coming between the artist and his audience. “Average” definitely enjoys a slick pop finish, but I think it was necessary to spare us the full weight of the lyrical blows in the foreground. Sane isn’t holding anything back from us, and without a little bit of varnish, his words might have been too heavy for the pop framework to withstand.
It’s easily one of the most vulnerable debuts I’ve heard out of a hip-hop artist in a long time, but nevertheless I would rank Sane’s new single “Average” among the best new rap tracks I’ve listened to this summer. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he’s got a big future ahead of him in the mainstream, and not simply because of the radio-ready look he wears so well in this track. His is a unique style that is a little too grandeur-inspired for the underground to contain, and if given the right exposure this August, I think he stands a good chance of finding an audience on the FM side of the dial a lot sooner than later.
He’s got my support, and once you’ve given “Average” a spin for yourself, I believe he’ll have yours as well.
Jodi Marxbury