Coming straight from his new album, there’s something quite cleverly unique with Anders’ opening track, “Free Myself”, through both its tone and melodies, paired with the lack of clear genre and its uniqueness.

The chord progression looped through the entire track is one that many would recognize instantly, even without having any prior knowledge to music theory. Lately it has been spread all over modern pop, and has been around since the dawn of time. The way Anders traverses is quite clever; he masterfully dodges the cheesy tropes of the progression, and instead sticks to a more melodic rap route, which works beautifully. His tone is also quite ear-gripping, going for a vibe that crosses both Pink Floyd and The Weeknd, especially because of Anders’ voice, at times sounding almost exactly like the former. The production is extremely floaty, grounded through the low, punching 808 bass and the tight trap drums. The backing tracks are drowned in reverb, and the guitar layers that carries the progression forward bring the whole track together immaculately. The chorus is irresistibly catchy, but the verses are really this song’s strongest suit. The way Anders plays with rhythm fits the tone, and the song, perfectly.

The opening track to Anders’ newest album, Honest, is an excellent representation of the artist’s musical capabilities, all the while being a prime, addictive song through and through. It showcases that he can both subvert expectations all the while staying accessible through genres. A lot of different crowds would enjoy “Free Myself”, whether through the Weeknd vibes or for the dark, mellow vibes that could attract fans of rock and metal. 

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.