[REVIEW] PYTI’s “Sunswept”

Pyti’s latest single “Sunswept”, released on June 30, 2023, through TheSoul Publishing and distributed by Believe Music, navigates the challenges of a vocalist genre, and introduces several polarizing sections to engage listeners through intense kicks and arpeggiated synthesizers.

The track opens with some retro inspired synths, programmed in a fast paced arpeggiated sequence. It comes off as almost ethereal, with some washy atmospheric sweeps in the background to create anticipation for the next section. While not particularly groundbreaking, it serves its purpose as a calm and peaceful starting point and does its job of setting the stage for an anticipated drop.

Just as the song insinuates, the initial drop comes right afterwards, albeit a bit too intensely. The most prominent element is the sidechained kick, which is a bit heavy in the mix. The imbalance of the kick drum vs the synthesizers takes away from the spotlight that the synth melodies should be receiving. However, on a second or third listen, the ears tend to enjoy the danceability of that intense beat. It’s a double-edged sword that can be both exhilarating and overwhelming for the listener.

Verse two arrives afterwards, and the fast paced sequenced arpeggiators are introduced again, bringing a nice allude to the introduction. It’s a well-placed dynamic change that adds necessary variation to the track. There are some warm chord pads that flutter in the background as well, which add a blanket of stability to the rhythmic structure.

On the appearance of the second drop, the synth melodies have a chance to shine more. The persistent dominance of the kick drum is still there, but the synths appear louder in volume and layered more, making it a more complete drop than the first.

The outro brings back the consistent retro synth sound underneath a new counter melody. The new key sound, which alludes to a toy keyboard or a classic patch in Serum, helps ground the finale with some much peace.

The track clocks in at 3:48, which is a bit short for the genre. It would have been even more satisfying if the song had built up to one final peak or drop, which it seemed destined for but unfortunately didn’t reach.

While some aspects may polarize listeners, such as the intense peaks and valleys of the drops, “Sunswept” does its job of taking listeners on a dynamic journey, blending somber and peaceful moments with high intensity drops, all wrapped up in a blanket of retro nostalgia.