A flurry of activity explodes out of P. Bailey’s “It Shouda Been You (PB Explosive mix)”. Tempos here mess with listener expectations. Keeping things relatively fast adds to the disorienting experience, perfectly encompassing what it means to go through the end of a relationship. Certain moments feel absolute life-affirming, like an escape, whilst others focus heavily on the loss. By exploring both of these emotions simultaneously it offers a surprising amount of truth. Stylistically it runs the gamut from footwork to R&B to hip-hop to soul, never neatly settling into one.
Right from the beginning the song comes at the listener hard. The percussion immediately takes front and center stage, setting the scene for the chaotic series of feelings that P. Bailey takes into account. Verses cut to the absolute bone and serve as the very heart of the entire trip. Bass frequencies weave their way into the mix. Quite active the many layers bounce off each other making sure to truly sell their kaleidoscopic vision. Word choice matters for he punctuates the lyricism with his own yearning. Lots of the work has this neat mixture of lo-fi meets club as there is this reflective stance to it, one that refuses to ever let up. Strangely catchy there is this mystery about it for he unpacks his thoughts in real time.
“It Shouda Been You (PB Explosive mix)” offers an aural equivalent to a fluttering heartbeat, featuring the right amount of energy that heartbreak can often bring.
#P. Bailey
