Tanya Mezh is a name we’ll be hearing for years, if not decades, to come. Transformative talents aren’t widespread. There are plenty of workmanlike singers populating the pop landscape. However, singers who communicate personality with every line, inhabit their material, and show constant improvement are much rarer. Mezh falls into the second category. Born Tanya Mezhentseva in December 2009, the Moscow, Russia native tackles her chosen vocation with the self-assurance of someone born to do this. Her new single “Lying Looks Bad on You” reinforces this feeling.
It glows with across-the-board progress. Her ability to command a song heavy with post-production atmospherics separates her from much more garden-variety talents. “Lying Looks Bad on You” simmers from the outset and has a distinctly darker tilt than many past Mezh singles. You can hear the restrained anger breaking through in secondary vocal tracks complementing the main vocal. An undercurrent of heartache and disappointment runs through the lyrics and singing. This understated element of the song lends added depth to the track.
Some listeners will hear the vocal presentation as inordinately cluttered. However, other listeners will listen to the design of “Lying Looks Bad on You” as reflective of the assortment of contrary emotions warring with each other in a relationship such as this. The production presents the multiple vocal tracks with polish. Mezh tailors the lean, economical musical accompaniment to complement her singing.
The percussion is especially effective. It imbues Mezh’s arrangement with a restlessly turbulent quality that never plunges into disarray. “Lying Looks Bad on You” boasts terse and impressively percussive lyrical content that doubles the effects of the pre-programmed pulse. The synthesized tilt of the songwriting risks a cold computerized tint, typical of such arrangements. Mezh and her collaborators avoid such a fate.
“Lying Looks Bad on You” benefits from brevity. A less than three-minute running time focuses Mezh’s efforts and eschews self-indulgence. It ratchets up the intensity several notches without losing sight of the entertainment potential. She deserves considerable praise for balancing the clear personal statement powering the song alongside a physical sound that will engage any listener. It is music that appeals to the body and mind.
Attributes such as this are among the many distinguishing Tanya Mezh’s “Lying Looks Bad on You” from faceless pop confections. She’s gaining maturity with each new outing. Her aforementioned ability to strike an accord between that authority and guaranteeing listeners enjoy every second of efforts such as this catapults “Lying Looks Bad on You” into rarified air. There’s little doubt that she can keep up this high level of artistry.
It is a single that will turn many heads. Mezh has a natural aptitude for the vagaries of modern pop music and doesn’t waste the audience’s time with needless ornamentation. She is performing for herself, without question. However, listeners are equally important, and she has unerring instincts for what makes contemporary music successful. We can expect that she will keep refining her skills in the future and churn out memorable work.
Chadwick Easton