Tonemillers, pour yourself a little somethin’ somethin’ because we’re about to take you into the glorious universe of being very much not sober. 24-year old NYC-based Ximone has crafted a boozy guitar ballad (“Jello Shooter”) which feels like a serenade, but instead of Prince Charming waiting below the balcony it’s a jello shot (a much-appreciated rewriting of that old fairytale some may argue.)
This alternative pop and R&B artist has an education in audio engineering, and yet the track is left unmastered and raw (a choice we love). The track comes from an accumulation of demo tapes compiled into a second EP called Ximone + Rejects, and if “Jello Shooter’ is a reject, then we can’t even begin to imagine what the non-rejects sound like!
The lazy, reverb-laden guitar has only the echo of the strikes serving as a breezy rhythmic accompaniment. Ximone’s vocals float effortlessly over the guitar providing a delightful mix of huskiness and velvetness. The minimal arrangement is perfection. It is reminiscent of an Amy Winehouse-esque feeling where the style is both old-school and modern with a layer of cheekiness.
The feeling of the track situates the listener right at the end of a long cocktail-filled night where the liver is rather exhausted. The narrator begs for the alcohol to take one final shot to the head pushing them into irreversible drunkenness (hey, quarantine has been tough…#wecanrelate).
Best listened to: Wasted in an Uber at 2AM while stuffing down something greasy and reminiscing about a glorious night out (…the Uber driver is not impressed by the stuffing-down-something-greasy and asks you to wait and eat until you’re home. You do not wait. Your rating goes down. You don’t care.)
Listen for: The very end where Ximone layers her vocals and you’ll find your little inebriated head nodding along in tipsy enjoyment.