Thursday 4/1: Justin Bieber—"Hold On"
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song from Justin Bieber.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him), Eric Bennett (they/them), Michael Brooks (he/him) and Miranda Reinert (she/her). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. On Substack, we’re also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song from Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber—"Hold On"
Eric Bennett:
For what is not the first time in my life, and will probably not be the last, I will say that I like a Justin Bieber song. “Hold On” is certainly glossier, but am I the only one who thinks this song sounds like Gotye’s 2011 classic “Somebody That I Used to Know”? The way Bieber’s vocal melody finds him reaching higher, pleading, feels like a parallel. This is not to say that he’s created some kind of indie-pop crossover song; this is still the kind of thing I think is made for pop radio. I have tried to envision the ideal setting for it, and I am conflicted. I think it sounds like something good to hear with the top down driving, but it's so icy in tone and production that it feels simultaneously like a good fall single. I don’t know, maybe just listen to it with the windows down in like, October, or something, as a compromise.
Update: No, I’m not the only one who saw that parallel, it’s actually intentional. So much so that Gotye got a songwriting credit for it. Google is great, folks.
Michael Brooks:
I haven’t gotten around to listening to the new Justin Bieber record yet so I was actually pretty stoked to check out “Hold On”. But I’ve gotta keep it real, I was pretty underwhelmed with it. After doing a little bit of research I discovered that Bieber released a record last year, which I don’t remember at all, but to be fair I had also already forgotten that Sufjan Stevens dropped a new album last year until a couple of days ago so time is weird and my memory sucks. I only bring this up because the last Bieber record I can remember is Purpose, which had some amazing singles and is an album that I really enjoyed back in the day. “Hold On” is pleasant enough on the surface, I dig the production on it and it definitely vibes, but it does a bit too much meandering for me. It’s a fine song I suppose but I found myself wanting so much more after it was finished. If you were to inject a little more energy into this track’s DNA I think that it would do a little more for me but as it stands (sorry Biebs) I can’t under good faith recommend it. - Michael Andrew Brooks
Eli Enis:
This does nothing for me. I can’t say I’ve ever liked a Justin Bieber song. I feel like at this point in my life I can give a good-faith listen to pretty much any artist, even ones who I was conditioned to be repelled by as a young metalhead. But I just find it hard to imagine myself ever thoroughly enjoying a Justin Bieber track. At least not this one. Everything is just way too glossy and preened and boardroom’d for me. It’s a saccharine hook and the lyrics are even more overindulgent. Like Michael said, if there was more energy then maybe I could hang and nod my head, but there’s absolutely nothing about this style of music—aesthetically, lyrically, sonically—that appeals to me in any way.