Young Dervish — aka Zakariya Khan — comes in swinging on a self-built fretless electric guitar, which already tells you this guy does not care about your plug-and-play presets or your default Ableton packs. The tone of Jellymaster, his new single, is syrupy, wobbly, almost aquatic.
There’s this high-gloss Americana swagger to the whole thing — almost like it should be playing during a car commercial shot at sunrise — but instead of feeling corporate or fake, it turns into something oddly personal. Proud, but in a way that’s earned.
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Composition-wise, it’s more vibe than hook. There’s no big chorus screaming for attention. It’s all about tone and motion, about letting this molten guitar voice say everything. There’s some vocals tucked in, but they feel more like echoes than the main event. If you came here for a clean pop structure or a three-act breakdown, you’re in the wrong zip code. This is instinctual music. Music with fingerprints.
SCORE 8/10
‘Jellymaster’ is probably too weird and fluid for most algorithm gods, but that’s what makes it hit.
Indie Boulevard Magazine 