AV Super Sunshine is not an artist who limits his creative output to one channel in music; he’s always experimenting with the depth of his sound and what he’s able to do with it. Rock, acoustic, club, and avant-garde music have made their way into his tree of influences before, and with the arrival of his new single “Sink or Swim,” he makes another spellbinding effort to unite the foundations of alternative songcraft under one umbrella with quite the intriguing results.
“Sink or Swim” is a more balladic track than it initially lets on, luring us a little closer with its gentle disposition only to let go of an incredible wave of melodicism much more striking and enveloping than what any slow song would be able to contain. From beginning to end, the lyrics tend to feel like the grand centerpiece of “Sink or Swim” in a way that previous AV Super Sunshine songs have not featured, but they’re not taking anything away from the instrumental fireworks in the background. This is stacked, to put it mildly, and it’s a single/remix combo certain to have the critics talking about the creator once more.
The first thing that I noticed about both versions of “Sink or Swim” was the meticulousness of how they were mixed, especially with regard to the harmonies. There’s no dismissing the strength of the vocal or the guitar in the standard take, and I would even argue that the girth of the percussion is made a little thicker thanks to the stylization of the equally bold bassline. It’s in the dance mix of “Sink or Swim” where the bass componentry gets its starring moment, but there’s really no instance in either one of these recordings where it seems like we’re listening to something that has been thoroughly condensed for the purposes of the FM dial.
AV Super Sunshine has never been one to cut corners, and if there’s one thing that I don’t see him evolving out of no matter how much success or critical approval he acquires through the years, it’s his attention to detail no matter what kind of material he’s trying to record and produce.
“Sink or Swim,” while being a very attractive work for those who have been listening to this artist for the better part of the last few years, is a track that was made for anyone who can appreciate a dynamic, harmony-based lyrical pop single in 2022, of which I think there are more than a few listeners. Although it’s very true that AV Super Sunshine has never stopped experimenting with his abilities as a performer, he’s certainly found his creative groove and doesn’t mind exploiting it for everything it’s worth when he has the opportunity, which is part of the reason why I think we’ve seen as many remixes of his songs as we have in the last four years. He wants to explore every angle from which a song can be presented, and it’s in this sense that we’re getting more of what he does best in this release.
Cleopatra Patel