Hein Cooper: “Pretend”

April 07, 2021 | Writer: Eric Reyes

This is a week of winners, really.  Hein Cooperโ€™s voice is bright and layered, his sound textured. Playing around with his natural tonality, he manages that balance between the stressed reaches of his vocal ability and the comfortable middle-ground. That middle-ground isnโ€™t where he dwells, itโ€™s where he lands, and then springs nimbly forth.

The song is too short for my liking, and not because songs have to meet some kind of time limit to qualify as a full-fledged single (as a fan of emo and house acts, short concept/vanity tracks are a dime a dozen). There was so much on offer here that the abruptness, no matter how well crafted, felt like a taste. And I guess thatโ€™s what itโ€™s supposed to be, something able to stand on its own and entice one to delve furtherโ€ฆ but damnit Iโ€™m impatient and I love this song.

It opens on a bit of a deceptive note. After youโ€™ve listened to the whole song, going back and starting it over, you think itโ€™s an entirely different kind of track, a different kind of act. It works to the benefit of the piece, however, as the unique sound and mix that follows really earns its place in your ear. Acoustic guitars, subtle electronic mix, all wound together with Hein Cooperโ€™s stellar voice. Iโ€™m sold, you will be too.

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