Arin
Loving is Wasted
Arin is a songwriter and producer based in London with 9 singles to his name. Listening to his work you can tell that he pays exceptional attention to the details of composition, production and performance. I was drawn to this song because all of those qualities are perfectly displayed in three minutes and six seconds. He’s one of those artists that when I hear for the first time I’m like, “how in the hell is this dude not massive?!” Well, I think he will be, especially if he continues to put out songs like “Loving is Wasted.” Here’s our review.
Track starts in A with some light keyboard riffs, arpeggio’s and a pleasant mix. When Arin’s voice comes in, it’s a smooth and solid tenor with a well rounded tone. Pronunciation and phrasing are exceptional - and that means a great deal in a world full of pop singers that sound like they are marbling half their words as they sing through their nose. Melody starts on the third creating some nice separation from the instrumentation. Love how as the melody falls on the latter half of the phrase, the instrumentation rises, crosses underneath him - that’s some smart arrangement work there. With the pre-chorus, we get a nice a different arpeggio to amp up the vibe just a touch before he takes us into the chorus. Lyrically, it’s a story of unrequited love and it’s very relatable.
Beautiful chorus with a great hook! Love how the melody starts on the three again, but it’s simpler to make room for the added instrumentation. Mix is solid and the parts are impeccable - less than a minute in we’re thinking of Charlie Puth, Lauv and one of our favorites, Virginia to Vegas.
Second verse adds in some cicada hats and additional instrumentation - nice build. Love how the pre-chorus here is different lyrically than the first, again, smart arrangement and production. His vocals here really shine. Great tone and delivery, very believable, solid pop singing without being arrogant or overbearing. That takes talent. Second chorus continues the trend of slight modifications with a different start to this particular section. In the first chorus, he drops the beat right away. Here, he waits until the second measure. That takes us to a bridge with a nice acoustic line that’s succinctly buried in the mix before he brings back a chorus that drops the same way as the first. The ending brings the acoustic back and it ends on the hook.
For all you young writers and producers out there, this is an excellent track to study - in every facet. There’s a lot going on musically but it never gets in the way of the melody or vocals. There’s not much change in the chord progressions of the sections, but there doesn’t have to be, provided that you do something to keep in interesting for the listener - as he does here with lyrical changes in the pre-chorus, different drop beats for the middle chorus, added instrumentation throughout the song and slight changes to the arpeggiators. Too many writers and junior producers just record a bunch of tracks and give no consideration to how the song should flow - how it should be built. If you listen to how Arin constructed this, you’ll gain an appreciation for the details that make the difference between a great pop song, and just another song that’s been uploaded.
Lots of luck with this track, Arin. Keep putting out bangers like this and you’ll be able to write your own ticket.