Up and coming eclectic musician gnash returns with “Something,” the follow-up to his breakthrough single, “I Hate U I Love U.”

Sometimes the best hits are the most unexpected.  In the case of singer/songwriter and sometimes rapper gnash, his hit “I Hate U I Love U” came out of left field.  How do you follow up an unexpected hit with something that would dare supplant it? The answer is, you don’t – you simply release another single.  That’s what gnash does with “Something,” a respectable follow-up that doesn’t supersede gnash’s breakthrough

https://youtu.be/etu9c9VLQ84

“Something” opens with guitars – a stark contrast from “I Hate U I Love U.  Gnash delivers clear vocals, another contrast to “I Hate U I love U.” He sounds clearer on “Something.”  The record has a chill vibe, tropically-infused. It dabbles in reggae, without fully committing.  Throughout the record, lyrics “Whoa oh oh oh” appear, sometimes at the hands of gnash, and at other times, handled back backing vocals.

After singing the first verse, the second verse is more rap-oriented.  Here, he cleverly references his top-20 hit:

“Please call me when your plans fall through / you could dance on me with your hands on me / when your’ man’s on leave, put my hands on you / I don’t care if you hate me, I don’t care if you love me / I just wanna be your buddy / I just wanna be something to you.” 

The catchy chorus embraces more urban-pop/reggae cues, as well as sums up the sentiment of the record:

“Whoa oh oh oh, you’re more than a feeling / whoa oh oh oh, you’re something I’m needing / and if you feel lonely and left out with nothing to do / I’d love to be a something to you…”

Essentially, he wants her to be his bae.  It’s that simple.

Final Thoughts

After listening to “Something” the first time, it was a bit underwhelming.  The second time, however, the new single clearly unveils its charm and magic. “Something” won’t supplant “I Hate U I Love U,” but once more, gnash has something working here.

gnash • ‘Something’ [single] • gnash • Release: 9.30.16

Photo Credit: gnash