Hein Cooper: “Pretend”

By: Eric Reyes
April 11, 2021

This is a week of winners, really. Hein Cooper’s voice is bright and layered, and 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 isn’t where he dwells, it’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 that’s what it’s supposed to be, something able to stand on its own and entice one to delve further… but damnit I’m impatient and I love this song.

It opens on a bit of a deceptive note. After you’ve listened to the whole song, going back and starting it over, you think it’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 Cooper’s stellar voice. I’m sold, you will be too.

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