"Psychedelic Switch" by Carly Rae Jepsen

Sometimes I want steak. Sometimes I want ice cream. "Psychedelic Switch" by Carly Rae Jepsen is audio ice cream with another scoop of ice cream on top. This modern synth-pop disco confection is an absolutely killer showcase track for vocal expressiveness within a complex and textured mix.

Jepsen's singing style is one of my pop favorites because it's sooooo expressive. Carly Rae is basically doing four-and-a-half minutes of jazz hands with her voice. You can hear every grimace, smile, swoon, and coy glance as her reverb-drenched and pitch-chopped vocal performance alternately floats through and flies above the mix. This isn't some backyard session. The layered processing is anything but subtle, but her nuanced affectation simply will not be denied.

A needle-sharp click-track immediately sets a tone that we're unironically here for disco perfection as Carly Rae's pitch-shifted vocal sneaks in. The rubbery walking bassline holds off for a full minute, then we finally get the drop as it comes in coiled around a four-on-the-floor kick driven by gently (and not so gently) sweeping synths that come in wave after shimmery wave. It's a literal vibe. Not dancing, or at least tapping your foot, to this would be rude. Every element is perfectly in its place and giddy about being there. Act accordingly.

Producer Kyle Shearer is a one-man band responsible for bass, guitar, synthesizers, and all drum programming. Jepsen's vocal is layered and processed but still distinctly hers, somehow remaining intimate even against the density surrounding it.

At three minutes the track lets us exhale briefly as all the rhythm elements pull back, letting a hair-raising synth melody ripped straight from a Kool & the Gang playbook take center stage. The final minute delivers a proper disco crescendo with the return of all the elements as processing trickery turns up to 11.

Listen for: The mustard Carly Rae puts on the "With you I'm putting on the Ritz" line in the chorus. She's not kidding.

Data

Song: Psychedelic Switch
Album: The Loveliest Time
Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen
Genre: Synth-Pop, Disco
Year: 2023
Length: 4:32
Engineer: Kyle Shearer
Producer: Kyle Shearer