By Will Mossa

Following his March EP Static, Brandon Banks dropped a new two track project titled Caught Up on August 28. While these new songs definitely display more development on his vibe and sound from his last project, Bandon Banks stays consistent with his bewitching vocals and bright lyricism. The main change in projects comes with the instrumentals; coming from a modernized R&B sound, Banks took it one step further with a switch to heavy ambient synths, straying away a little bit more from traditional R&B roots. Banks shows extreme creativity as he is building his own lane in the genre, but staying true to many of the roots he built himself on such as his melancholy beats, hard 808’s, and especially his astounding vocal range.

The first track of the project, “Gold,” headlines a skillfully crafted and memorable guitar riff and bread-and-butter sound he has been working on since his last EP. This is another track where Brandon Banks mentions themes of balance. His ability to constantly create songs around real life feelings and thoughts is just one of the many talents he displays through every song he releases. “Everything you built can tuble at your feet/ If you chase vanity/ Where is your balance/ All of that baggage, how do you manage?” An extremely profound thought but still matching the song, 

Brandon Banks has proved over and over again that if you don’t listen carefully, you might miss these types of lines in his work. The second track, “Iroc,” is an interesting switch from the sound we’re used to hearing from Brandon Banks. The ambient synth and haunting background singing add to the gloomy vibe and leisurely pace of the track. Here Banks flaunts his vocal range and the slow pace makes way for paying true attention to lyrics and how deep he can really get. “Caught up in a whirlwind of suppression/ Gotta speak what’s on my heart/ Suspension of my senses/ More defenses than the heaters of Iroc” delves down into the depths of his mind and soul and pours it out in music form yet again. With this short project, Brandon Banks has already shown his sound is developing and will continue to grow as an artist with future projects.