“ASSHOLE” by Venice Qin is your new spiteful yet empowering favorite. With its effortlessly funny, relatable lyrics and infectious musicality, this track actually delivers what those Tik Tok-friendly, almost-clever pop tracks try to: genuine humor, undeniably catchy melodies, and a sense of unmitigated coolness.
With a distant vocal sample and a crisp bass line, we’re thrown into the verse: “When you were only six years old / Your mother filled your head with gold.” Venice’s voice has this clear, deep quality to it, giving the saccharine melodies a good helping of substance. As a humble snare drum pitter-patters toward the chorus, other simple textures pile in–a bass drum, a reverb-drenched background vocal, the ghost notes of an acoustic guitar strum.
A brief pause ushers in the chorus: “I really want to tell you you’re an a**hole!” Synths and harmonies wash over the mix, breathing life into the chord structure. Venice’s vocals are suddenly inundated with this devilishly fun autotune. It’s the kind that makes its existence pretty obvious, thus adding to the texture and interest of the song as a whole. As she pours out droves of witty phrases about this terrible, clueless individual, the listener can’t help but sing along. It’s just so authentically delightful. Plus, it’s a great outlet for that nagging feeling you get when someone in your life is getting on your nerves.
Be sure to check out Venice Qin! Not only is “ASSHOLE” a brilliant display of pop songwriting, but the accompanying music video is a great watch!
Written by Alyce Lindberg
