Calvyn Cass Releases” You Always” (SINGLE)

“You Always” is such a distinctly certain single to release as an artist of any scope, but it is especially certain when coming from Calvyn Cass, a talent who by all accounts is fairly unknown outside of his followers across multiple platforms finding themselves in the thousands. The quality that comprises a mere three minutes is a piece of music some might expect from an artist with a couple of albums under their belt. Imagine my surprise when Calvyn Cass’s discography was… a blank slate.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/calvyncassmusic/

Yep, not a single album out for the masses, and yet here was something as brazenly confident and unabashedly pompous as “You Always.” Even if the song didn’t affect me with its general content, the sheer brass involved with releasing something this loud and proud was a song worth recognizing. Luckily, Calvyn not only has a song worth praising as an early effort of his — “You Always” is a piece of music that functions wholeheartedly as a grandiose statement of intent in regards to his future that is still being written as much as it works as a present-day dance floor anthem meant to be listened to as loud as possible, with as many of your (hopefully vaccinated) friends around.

It’s been a long time coming, a song this potent and primed for a post-pandemic premiere. Say that three times fast, why don’t you? The attention to the craftsmanship behind the actual instrumental track feels as crucial, if not more so than the vocal work on full, unbridled display by Cass. There’s enough love and attention dedicated to bringing an entirely fresh, yet undeniably retro, sound to audiences jittery and exhausted from a year-plus spent indoors, and the variety of vocal textures explored by Calvyn Cass only continue to layer on the attention to detail. The stems of this track must be exhilarating to listen to one by one, from the core vocals to the harp work and percussive additions that feel as attached to EDM as they are to modern hip-hop. There’s plenty to dig into within “You Always,” its timeless atmosphere and neon aesthetic lending itself to a dozen distinctly different music video ideas when listened to with closed eyes.

Calvyn Cass is a student from the school of pop with his South African and Canadian sensibilities meshing together in ways that seem to entirely benefit the music; there is an inarguable global sheen to the pop track as Cass’s structuring feels as focused on American pop stardom as it does on even the most minor elements tied to the global phenomenon of the behemoth genre K-Pop. The balancing act performed by Cass gives “You Always” deep-seated stability and indisputable air of confidence and conviction when it comes to its deserved place among the heavy-hitters.

There’s yet to have been a clear winner for the highly-sought “Song of the Summer,” and “You Always” is an eager contender throwing its hand into the pot; the season is only just barely upon us, but there’s a certain Summer vibe to Calvyn Cass’s overall sound, and by the Fall, I have hope there will be plenty more from him to go around.

Michael Rand