South African producer, songwriter and artist Cubbi tackles mental illness on his superb, sleekly produced debut pop single, “Rippling.”

If your playlist needs a legitimate lift, look no further than South African producer, songwriter, and artist Cubbi.  Cubbi is part of an ‘alternative vein’ of musicians, much like innovative spirits James Blake and Frank Ocean. In a musical genre where lyricism isn’t always a defining feature, the queer musician has a knack for it, incorporating important, relatable, and thoughtful topics including mental illness and drug abuse. His debut single “Rippling,” released February 15, showcases his lyrical abilities (more on that later).

“Rippling” commences with rhythmic guitar.  Initially, with the relatively common backdrop, “Rippling” appears as if it’s going to be a relatively ‘straightforward,’ pop record.  Not quite the case. Once Cubbi begins singing, slick drum programming enters the mix, anchoring the rhythmic guitar backdrop.  The identity of the track transforms into a super sleek, modern, electro-pop joint.  Even though the record integrates a bag of production tricks, the theme of the record is what’s most transcendent. As aforementioned in the introductory paragraph, Cubbi tends to get personal, something that can’t always be attributed to an electro-pop record. “Rippling” tackles mental illness, a topic becoming not only more prevalent within society, but also being explored more musically.  As easy as the music itself is on the ears, it’s what he conveys lyrically that really sticks.

Final Thoughts

All in all, judging by “Rippling,” Cubbi seems well on his way to big things.  “Rippling” checks off all boxes: relatable songwriting, sleek production, strong vocals, and innovative spirit.  Don’t sleep on this talented musician.

Cubbi • Rippling [Single] • Release: 2.15.19

Photo Credit: Cubbi