President Hill is Back With New Single

Even if it’s been said a million times before now, it’s worth saying again – you can’t put a price on confidence in pop music, and President Hill is sporting a whole lot of it in his new single “I Decided” this March. The difference between arrogance and swagger might be minute in the eyes of some, but those uncertain on the boundary need to make a point of hearing “I Decided” as soon as possible this spring, mostly to understand that when confidence is the centerpiece of a single, it can define the artistry of the song’s creator without overstating any one attribute they have going for them. 

The vocal delivery is the most central element supporting the catharsis in this track, and while I think that there’s a lot of tension towards the back of the mix that President Hill is able to take advantage of, this would not be the same song were it recorded with less oomph coming from the lead singer. He knows how to philosophize with the microphone in his hands, but that has little to do with his natural adeptness for melodicism, which puts his performance squarely in the company of elites here. 

I love that President Hill isn’t scared of this beat, but instead spends most of his time in “I Decided” chasing after it, almost to prove that he can shape the rhythm of the music even without the assistance of a sturdy bassline. To me, a fat bass part would have got in between artist and audience too much to be justified, and in its place we find a tonal presence from the other instruments that would have been entirely clouded over were this mixed conventionally. He might be an experimentalist, but you can’t accuse this artist of not having a winning formula in this track. 

This arrangement is giving President Hill’s lyricism all the harsher of a framework within which they exist and introduce vivid, warm colors to the melody, but I think this was necessary so that our leading man can really make the most of a simplistic compositional setup. I don’t think that he needs to be indulgent with his aesthetics, but even in going about this minimalist look in the most backward way possible he’s showing the audience that he doesn’t want to be typecast with the other players coming up in his scene right now. 

I’m really looking forward to hearing more from President Hill in the future, and being that this is only my second time listening to any of his work, I think it’s quite impressive how well he’s been able to create a unique sound that’s truly his own without having to lean on the pedigree of his influences. It’s easy to be an imitator – there are plenty recording singles similar to “I Decided” as you read this very article – but to go out on a limb and contribute something to a genre that has influenced you so greatly takes a talent only players like President Hill are in possession of. 

Mindy McCall

The music of President Hill has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com