yung van & guardin, Something’s in the Way | Track Review 🎵

Lexington, KY emo-hip-hop artist yung van collaborates with guardin for the emotional, vibe-filled single, “Something’s in the Way.”

“Igot marks around my heart, but you didn’t set ‘em off / I guess what I’m tryna say is it’s all my fault.” Woo! Let’s backtrack for a moment. First things first, it’s rare that I – the Kentucky born-and-bred music guy – actually gets the opportunity to cover musicians from my state.  In the case of 🎙 yung van, that’s exactly what happens as the alt-emo-hip-hop artist hails from my ‘neck of the woods’ (specifically, Lexington).  Anyways, the Acid Castle collective rapper collaborates alongside 🎙 guardin for the intriguing single, 🎵 “Something’s in the Way” from his forthcoming album, 💿 Goblin Kid.  Folks, prepare for your ears to perk up to this V-I-B-E!

“Something’s in the Way” has plenty of pros.  It’s a well-produced record, courtesy of the skills of 🎛 Tagliatore and 🎛 Sinxi.  The backdrop has both pop and hip-hop sensibilities. Sigh, it has to be that guitar, which is the perfect canvas for both artists to ‘get their shine on.’ Yung van takes first blood, dropping the smooth, rhythmic melodic intro.  It’s followed by the chorus of the song, which adds some additional vocal layering to beef up the sound.  Matters of the heart dominate as he proclaims, in total emo fashion:

“No matter what I do, I always fuck this up
I don’t think I’ll ever really love someone
So, I turned off all my feelings, made my heart go numb.
I ain’t ever let myself love no one.”

After setting the tone, the sole verse of “Something’s in the Way” comes from guardin, who brings his own distinct, very ‘emo’ approach contrasting van.  Even with somewhat of a deadpan delivery, guardin manages to bite with lyrics like “Yeah, I got an ice heart (An ice heart) / Fuck all your feelings, I’ll tear them apart,” as well as, “And I cannot focus on all these fuckin’ emotions / They constantly go unspoken / For I do fear being open…” Real talk, for sure (+ timely f-bombs).  It’s the last we hear from him, before a bridge from Yung van, where he’s afraid to text and goes on to state, “I don’t even love myself to this day.” He closes out with an outro, very similar to his emotional, tone-setting intro.

Final Thoughts 💭 

As aforementioned, it’s an honor to cover someone from the Bluegrass State, period.  You know what’s even better? When the artist brings the heat.  While “Something’s in the Way” is mellow AF, it packs a punch.  Both yung van and guardin “do the damn thing” you could say.  Did I already mention that the vibe is real?

🎙 yung van & guardin • 🎵 “Something’s in the Way” • 🏷 Acid Castle • 🗓 5.28.21

[📷 : Acid Castle]