Review: "COLD HANDS" EP by New Saint
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Summer Walker might be getting all the RnB love this year , but there are some worthy albeit low key up fire competitors from both sides of the US/Canada border that you should keep an eye out for.
One of the serious contenders on our short list is Calgary based New Saint, who sounds like the moody Canadian love child of The Weeknd and Roy Woods. We’re honestly surprised that OVO hasn’t discovered this guy yet.
He slays the emo RnB genre while remaining catchy enough for radio play, and his sound is unconventional enough to stand out amongst a bevy of bedroom beats and emo.
We’re glad this guy is giving some visibility to Asians in RnB, as well as Canadian RnB, which has been emerging as more of a mainstream presence over the past year.
The EP, arriving along with chilly weather in North America, is appropriately titled “COLD HANDS“. It’s four tracks long and tracks rarely exceed three minutes, but it’s fleshed out enough to keep us full until the next project. New Saint’s smooth, syrupy voice pairs well with bouncy and bassy beats without getting too overzealous with the auto tune.
His production in this EP is slightly different from his previous style, notably in languid, creamy tracks like “Since You Left”, which garnered over 138k SoundCloud listens, but showcases a softer side of New Saint, with less rapping, more minimalism, and the perfect amount boyish yearning.
“COLD HANDS” is a snappier, more evolved version of New Saint that is on trend, but still true to his unique, emotionally vulnerable voice in a sea of Drake-manufactured RnB artists.
New Saint raps like your favourite sad boy with an on-point man bun, while quoting existentialist philosophers in his IG bio. This RnB artist is an enigmatic and refreshing breath of fresh air in a sometimes tired arena, and he'll without a doubt be on our up-and-coming radar for 2020.