A creative, ever-shifting success from Maya Yenn, “How Much Sadness Can You Swallow?” engages with both bright pop hooks and darkly atmospheric turns. A creeping, more ominous progression at the forefront builds through slight synths and clap-laden percussion. Bass-y synths and rising vocals lead into the reflective, bouncy hook just prior the first minute mark. “How much sadness can you swallow?” Yenn asks just prior to the expanded synths at the conclusion, lyrically conveying a poignant feeling of emotional turbulence. “How Much Sadness Can You Swallow?” impresses with its stylish pop arsenal.
Per the artist, the track was “written in response to a particularly disturbing nightmare I had of ‘a vision of hell.'” The track explores themes of “loss, self-blame and what we do or don’t do with those feelings.”
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“How Much Sadness Can You Swallow?” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of August 2021’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Pop.
