It’s July, a record-breaking temperatures recreated the ninth circle of hell in the States, and the word “steamy” sounds like a threat of existential weight.
Luckily, “Perfect Timing” from music multi-hyphenate Brandon Serafino finds the refreshing chill in such a loaded word. The Hartford artist has built an impressive library of R&B and indie pop over the last few years, with atmospheric production and a killer upper vocal range. “Perfect Timing”, the followup to his debut EP Living Room, has Serafino letting some warmer air in. He and co-producers Zvlu and Zach Golden swap in heavier beats, Latin rhythms and a killer vocal hook that recalls the best of early 00’s pop by Pharrell and The Neptunes. It wouldn’t sound out of place flowing through the speakers of a hazy lounge, and could also take place there, as Serafino croons about a near-missed connection and all of the hot-and-heavy possibilities it could’ve brought, were the timing a bit more, well, “perfect”.
Despite the musical references, “Perfect Timing” is very much of-the-moment. Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber and plenty of other male singers have turned to tropical pop for some musical inspiration, to varying degrees of success. Where Brandon Serafino improves on their efforts is authenticity. Even with a change in sound, the underpinnings of his persona – the same chilled-out, introspective ease – remain. You can imagine him engaged in that classic “will-they-won’t-they” dance, without rolling your eyes, sighing in disbelief, or retching in disgust. That, and a bomb falsetto, keeps it all grounded, even as the temperature creeps up north.
It seems like “Old Town Road” and its 35 remixes may have the “Song of the Summer” title on hard lock, but there are six weeks left to switch things up, and well, you know the title of the song by now, right?
Stream “Perfect Timing” on Spotify below:
