On the other side of the world from where I sit writing these words, out of the Philippines comes a banger of an electronic pop song! What a pleasure to receive this submission to IAAS Music, and be able to review it. 

It is the brainchild of self-proclaimed bedroom producer Astuto, with collaborator Mark Corinth, plus the vocal talent of singer/writer Erika Alexis Carpitanos.

Cold Nights is a funky, hands-in-the-air-anthemic song, with sad lyrics juxtaposed against an uplifting musical backdrop. It has a mellow beginning, leading with Alex’s gentle voice, over soft chords. It slowly builds, with layer upon layer adding more sonic thickness, increasing the anticipation of what’s to come. 

Each time I listen, when I reach the first crescendo, and the subsequent drop, I get an undeniable dopamine hit! I love the synth power chords. I love the programmed slap bass. I love the vocal chops. The drums hit hard – nice work. 

For constructive feedback, I would note that there are quite a lot of words in the vocal performance that I can’t hear clearly.  Carpitanos's voice would benefit from being raised, and/or evened out in some phrases. Aside from this criticism, the production quality is very good. The sound choices, breakdowns, builds and drops keep things pleasing and interesting all the way through. 

I really enjoyed this track, right from the first play. Yes, the vocals aren’t perfect, but it still slaps! I shall be adding Cold Nights to my playlist, and continuing to smile every time I get to that first drop!

And if this sounds like your thing, there’s quite a back catalogue of Astuto singles to explore, stretching back to 2019 (on Spotify at least). Why not go and show this indie producer some love?

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You can keep up with Astuto on Spotify and Instagram.