Many artists use the first song on a release to introduce their style and tone. KAIAVANT does the same on Goodbye, Pieces, but “I’m too alone” sounds like the outro. Placing the song as the first taste presents a melancholy greeting and one that grabs your attention. The slow and brooding track draws you in and requires you to listen further.
Tagged as a R&B and soul artist, I can definitely hear some of those elements. But I think KAIAVANT leans more towards an electronic and low-key pop style. The tempos are slow and KAIAVANT focuses a lot on melodies that mix with the somewhat light instrumentals early on. “After tonight” follows the theme of “I’m too alone” while expanding on the sound with a minute less playtime.
Her single, “Dream on a summer night,” opens up a lot more. Adding electric guitar in the intro and a recognizable drum sample, KAIAVANT dives into an indie pop track. I can see how she got tagged as R&B, but I don’t think that’s her main style. Her signature is definitely a minimalist instrumentation with her vocals acting as the guide. I like how songs don’t rely on layers of sound and you get to experience her sound without too many audio distractions.
As Goodbye, Pieces moves from song to song, KAIAVANT adds a new element to the next song. “We were young then” adds another melodic layer that “Dream on a summer night” hints at while maintaining a minimal instrumental. KAIAVANT’s vocals always feel comfortable with a higher octave with hints at a deeper range. The single is fine, but “We were young then” has a better developed sound.
Since KAIAVANT used “I’m too alone” as the intro instead of the outro, “Somewhere” is in a weird place. Because I can see this working as a strong opener. As the EP closer, it has the first dynamic percussion presence with the bass drum adding a lot to the audible tempo. “Somewhere” also goes through multiple chapters within the song. The song sounds like a combination of ideas organically placed together.
Goodbye, Pieces is my first listen by KAIAVANT but she has a 2022 EP and 2022 full length under her discography too. I’ll have to go back and listen to these releases and see where her origins come from and if there’s been a significant change since these releases.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.