Rime Salmi Ft Matt Nye – Gaslight (2021)
People in toxic relationships can often feel pulled in different directions. This is the story Rime Salmi and Matt Nye are telling in the emotional single ‘Gaslight’. The single tells the tale of a person torn between the manipulations of their partner and the reality their friends are trying to get them to see. With wonderful storytelling lyrics and emotional pleas, the single inundates you with feelings.
Salmi and Nye met at a slam poetry class but only met up to work together two years later. Each takes on a different role in the single for an interesting interplay of their styles. Both have been surrounded by music for years and released music independently.
‘Gaslight’ uses a light melody to draw you in before it turns to more hip-hop beats. There is a haunting Ney (Arabic flute) line that flutters over the beats. This creates a wonderful contrast of sounds that helps to bolster the messaging of the single. The two distinct lines in the melody bolster the two sides that are pulling at the person in the toxic relationship.
While the melody creates an interplay between elements, the vocals are what really make the single. Salmi and Nye take on the role of friend and manipulative partner each trying to sway another to their view. Nye’s performance highlights the tactics of toxic people as the lyrics play on insecurities and try to distance the person from their friends. Salmi’s more melodic vocals are a more emotional plea that calls out through the soundscape with pain and hurt. Through her performance, she tries to open her friend’s eyes to the reality of the situation while calling out the toxic person. The two sides of these situations are wonderfully portrayed through a captivating single.
Rime Salmi and Matt Nye use a captivating storytelling style bolstered by layered melodics in ‘Gaslight’. As the lyrics highlight two sides trying to sway a third party, the vocal performances shine with emotion. The layered music is both moving and haunting as you get lost in the interplay of the lyrics and vocals.
Find out more about Rime Salmi on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
