The new single from Mallrat, “For Real,” is one healthy serving of bubble-gum, dream pop realness. The 17-year-old Aussie has created a melancholic sugary rhythm to accompany her thought provoking lyrics and sweet and simply melody.
Happy snap beats with a catchy piano hook introduce the tune and reflect the carefree vibe emanating from that first verse, “time’s not a thing so roll down the window and we can just sing,” effectively encouraging listeners to not overthink and just live even when the pressure might be overbearing. As the song progresses it becomes clear that the upbeat rhythm is merely a distraction for the lyrical undertones focusing on depression and the thoughts and feelings that accompany it. “For Real” is the type of tune that successfully blends happy and sad to amalgamate into one confusingly pleasant experience where the decision to settle on one emotion is open to interpretation. It’s the kind of song you can put on at a party and bodies would move but if you stop to listen to the words, minds would move too.
Compared to Mallrat’s other tunes, “For Real” ventures further towards a heavily pop influenced sound. It’s quite the jump from “Suicide Blonde” and “Sunglasses” but not so much from “Inside Voices” effectively bridging the gap somewhat and providing a smooth transition for listeners. More importantly Mallrat’s lyrical capability is not lost in any of this.
The self proclaimed Hannah Montana of the rap game has an EP due later this year and it would be in all of our best interests to keep an eye out for it.
