“Lil’ Kindness” is the latest single by Athena Lim, an exceptional London-based singer-songwriter. It’s her third piece of work this year, serving as an adequate follow-up of “White Dust” and “Being Someone,” two excellent songs you should check out as soon as possible. Like her previous numbers, “Lil’ Kindness” announces the upcoming EP of the same name, slated for release on June 15th via streaming platforms. Soundwise, Athena Lim combines the singer-songwriter approach with ingredients borrowed from many different but complementary music genres. Perhaps pop rock comes to mind first, but you’ll notice how Americana, indie folk, indie rock, soul rock, alt-pop, and many more elements found their way into this fine piece of sonic artistry. Athena Lim uses all these additional styles as more than necessary enhancements and decorations while remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with all qualities taken from other genres resulted in a mesmerizing song that will grab your attention and refuse to let go even after the song finishes.
Her ability to merge all these elements is vividly hearable. “Lil’ Kindness” has a perfect structure, fully stacked with many detailed segments garnered with brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship. Her outstanding vocal performance is a centerpiece, emphasizing everything she tried to achieve with this song. You’ll hear how her impressive vocal range commands attention and guides you by flawlessly balancing low, mid, and high notes while decorating every sonic and rhythmic maneuver. In the meantime, the wisely arranged interplay between rhythm and lead guitars serves as an adequate backdrop for her vocals to shine upon. As soon as guitars arrive in the mix, you’ll hear how arpeggiated and regular chord progressions resonate on one side, while the other side shines with magnificent themes, melodies, harmonies, accentuations, and other sonic acrobatics. The additional keyboards make things even more interesting by adding more complexity to already delicate instrumentations. It’s also good to mention that a subtle touch of studio reverb, delay, chorus, and tremolo helps in achieving that nostalgic retro sound, usually heard in the seventies and eighties music.
Athena Lim also thought about the rhythm section. There are equally complex, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines lurking beneath all the mentioned orchestrations, offering more than necessary heaviness, depth, and clarity while binding guitars and keys with drums. In the meantime, the excellent drumming performance dictates groove and tempo with energetic, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and other percussive acrobatics. Every instrument plays a significant role in this sonic equation. Athena Lim undoubtedly invested so much time and effort, and her hard work resulted in an otherworldly number that brings the best qualities of indie folk and folk-pop music. Her ability to continuously levitate between retro and modern sound goes beyond comprehension many times during the entire song, paying homage to all the influences and styles she adores. “Lil’ Kindness” is a pleasant journey through Anthena Lim’s visionary sound, where her impressive ideas, talent, and musicianship beautifully collide. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
THOUGHTS WORDS ACTION 