Afropop projects are hardly received unanimously but Victony has been a worthy exception. Since the release of his sophomore EP ‘Outlaw’ last Friday, feedback has been astoundingly positive. While we shared our first impressions of the project, it was obvious everyone had their favourite songs, picking at different standouts on the succinct 7-track project. 

This was not surprising given Victony’s track record. Impeccable songwriting is highlighted nowadays, the reason being that audiences’ broadening tastes and the self-determination of many young artists to be creative with their verses. Lined with ethereal melodies and an uncanny understanding of space, Victony continues to carve a niche for himself with a sound that glistens with alternative flourishes while paying close attention to the mainstream. 

 

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From “Holy Father” to “Rosemary”, Victony has continued to show growth in his lyricism and sensational lyrics, all accomplished with an almost peerless cool. Across the seven songs on ‘Outlaw’, these virtues flagrantly occupy the fore. He is meditative, joyous, inspirational, naughty and sleek all at the same time. On the Tempoe-produced standout “Soweto,” he is especially sleek delivering his verses with an audible smirk and charisma that permeates off the screen.

“Soweto’s” tone is light, right from its opening sequence of cherry strings and wistful adlibs. With the most unique percussive bounce you’ll hear in recent times, Victony proceeds with his enthralling descriptions of being awestruck by a woman’s beauty. While “All Power” might have gotten overtly intimate into the lurid desires of his mind, “Soweto” is restrained. As you might expect, the lyricism is more allegorical than factual. With Victony singing lines such as “No go do me Diego, my Maradona”, within the stirring pleas which make up the hook of this song. 

Of course, all praise to Victony for his songwriting qualities which he has also matched in quality by Tempoe. Since last year, the producer has churned hits with the consistency of an AI machine, embedding his beats with trademark flourishes an average listener can almost immediately place. With a two-minute run time, Victony cedes control halfway into the song, allowing the beat to expand and excite into the closing seconds. The whistle solo is a masterstroke, becoming a sort of interlude before the melancholic closer “Kolomental” comes in. 

Few songs this year will come close to this level of synergy. Within the tape which houses it, “Soweto” is neither the boisterous bop nor the most effusively introspective. However, what it portends is something more, an echelon of instant classics which refine themselves with time, better with each listen. That’s what “Soweto” sounds like. 

Listen to “Soweto” 

Featured image credits/TSE

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ICYMI: PROJECT RUNAWAY