Thursday 9/17: Daine—"bloody knees (nitecore)"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Melbourne hyperpop artist Daine.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now 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.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Melbourne hyperpop artist Daine.
Daine—"bloody knees (nitecore)"
Eric Bennett:
Melbourne’s Daine has fallen into place among artists like glaive, katie dey, and Charli XCX, the latter having given a serious boost to this song. The reigning queen of alternative pop noticing your work carries serious influence. However, “bloody knees (nitecore)” is the most straightforward, glittery pop song Daine has done. Her prior singles marry moody, guitar-based indie rock with the emo-rap that grew out of Soundcloud, the very platform that has helped springboard her career. Compare this song to “My Way Out,” and aside from the youthful, pleading vocals, they could be by two totally different artists. “Bloody knees (nitecore)” leans harder on the precedent of SOPHIE or 100 gecs, with its pitched-up vocals. At under two minutes, I think my only complaint is that there isn’t more of this to obsess over.
Eli Enis:
When I think of nightcore, I think of vocals pitched up to their squeaky extremes, skittering across a 180 BPM beat like a stuffed animal that got tossed out of a speeding minivan. I think dance-pop at its most gleefully absurd: either undanceably fast or vocally warped in a way that you can’t help but smile at. I don’t get any of those things from Daine’s supposed “nitecore” track “bloody knees”. The 1:45 cut is a by-the-numbers hyperpop song that whizzes by without any distinguishing features or standout moments. All the pieces are there—a moody piano intro, auto-tuned vocals surrounded by a halo of reverb, a bouncy section where she kinda sorta raps, and a hook that only happens twice (thrice repeated hooks? OK, boomer.)—but none of those elements are new or compelling.
There’s one moment at the beginning where a thumping trance beat pops off for like 10 seconds, but it’s so far in the back of the mix that it sounds like you’re hearing it through your neighbor’s wall. Her vocal delivery is weary but in a way that sounds more bored than pained, and the melodic patterns are predictable. It’s not surprising that she got a placement on the Sad Chill YouTube channel, a place that’s great for finding up-and-coming acts at the crossroads of emo-rap and hyperpop. However, like any great YouTube channel or other curatorial outlet, there’s also a lot of forgettable clutter to wade through. I’ll keep an eye on Daine going forward if Charli really thinks she’s worthwhile, but this one’s a skip for me.