Let's Go On A Little Joyride ★✩✮ The Tinashe Discography Rate - THE WINNER IS...

I like small rates too but the disparity between her thread where we go beserk over a new studio picture vs this is jarring. RCA is interfering with our rates.
I guess it says a lot about general motivation to actively support her.

We know there's something about Tinashe that's great, the quality of her output is generally of a high standard and we recognise her talent and stan, but when it comes to making any actual effort, most can't be bothered.

What is it about her that generates this strange apathy?
 
I love Tinashe and absolutely appreciate her talent, she should be ruling the world. I think we can all agree on that. I didn't get around to voting because I was away when it started and nn the idea of submitting more than a few hours before a deadline. But there's also an overriding sense of disappointment that clouds the past few months; her forum capital seems to be at its lowest in a long, long time.

I think the rate started at an unfortunate time, sadly, because there's so little to latch onto. There doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. If she releases a project as accomplished as Aquarius or Nightride again the tides will turn in her favour but I do think it's understandable to see people... exhausted at this point, especially when she's peddling tosh like Flame. And of course Tinashe will be feeling any frustrations beyond what we can imagine. But there isn't the spark, at the moment, and it's sad to see someone with so much potential and vision get lost in major label hell, to see that driven edge dulled with disappointments.

Anyway, with all that said, I will be following the rate closely and am sure you'll do a brilliant job, @Kuhleezi. I'm rooting for Bet, Pretend and Spacetime. And Cold Sweat. And Ecstasy. And etc etc etc. She's an amazing artist.
 
Let's go back to eliminations, shall we?













I don't want to find em













#72
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Avg: 6.029
Highest
: 10x1 (@phily693)

Lowest: 0x1 (@Kuhleezi)

My Vote: 0

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for: … ...


...


This is Tinashe’s worst released song.



What can I say that my big fat zero isn’t already? This almost 6 months old turd is the epitome of what our girl should NOT be doing: a feature with the poor man’s Chainsm*kers (that’s quite a feat in itself), a cheap-ass vocal production with a cheap-ass drop to boot, a Coldplay reference because of course in 2017 if you don’t state your undying love for them 24/7 you’re literally no one. It’s so cynical in what it’s trying to achieve (yet doesn’t), but the problem is there isn’t really anything to enjoy on this at all. Literally nothing.


I was actually surprised by this getting a 10. I mean, even Flame did, but at least that song has some redeeming qualities. Let’s see if you can make me change my mind phily693 (10): “Yes it's basic AF but it's a total bop. Yes it's a ripoff of that Closer song but this takes it and turns the pop up several notches! The middle 8 is great! I also LOVE Lost Kings and feel like they're very underrated.” Nah, still hate it. Another one who mentions this “Closer” song is Andy French (9): “Oh wow, so this is what Closer would sound like if it wasn’t shit.” I don’t know her. Oh, and nikkysan (5): “Cute-ish but why does the drop during the chorus sound like Closer by whom-shall-not-be-named? Not really liking that.” Still don’t know her.


I don’t like all this positivitea for this song. Thanks goodness there’s constantino (2) to bring back some sense: “Wow...this is realbasic. What kind of post-Chainsmokers hellscape?? And a Coldplay reference, RIGHT in front of my salad??!” Honestly, how sad is it that all 5 of us thought about those two black holes of talent for one of Tinashe’s songs? Oh well, we can go back to ignoring its existence like we were doing in the last ½ year. Who's the real winner here?



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If your name is Ty

If your name is Charli

If your name’s Tinashe



















#71#69
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Avg: 6.471
Highest
: 10x2 (@ohdenny; @Serg.)

Lowest: 2x1 (@nikkysan)

My Vote: 7

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for: “You like what I’m doEEEEEEEEEEEENGH!”



What kind of weird ensemble. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Charli and get my life to Work From Home like everybody else, but the three together… don’t make a lot of sense. Add in Stargate and Cashmere Cat at production helm for additional kiis. Really, it’s no surprise this feels a little disjointed. The single parts range from decent to good, but put together they don’t work that well. It’s still a bop, but that’s pretty much it.



Also, this must be one of the most on-the-nose euphemism ever. I can already imagine it featuring in one of those YouTube videos titled ‘YOU'D NEVER GUESS THE REAL MEANING BEHIND THESE SONGS!’



I owe Posh Spears (8) this one: “It’s a scream how little Tinashe is actually on this but regardless her double chorus with Charli is so much fun. Love the video too.” Scene-stealing queens. nikkysan (2) is stanning this unlikely power duo too: “Tinashe and Charli deserved a better collab.” Right now I’m imagining what a PC Music Tinashe song would sound like and my mental buss is already floating near Pluto. TRAVVV (4) on the other hand is here to bring us back to the harsh reality that two radically different artists collabing ends up 80% of the time in shit: “Needs like 80% more Tina.” A girl can’t even dream anymore.


phily693 (5.5) verges dangerously close to bringing up the Iggz “This is basically Fancy 2.0, I wish she was featured more than she is (and I really like her parts) but the only thing I can really remember from the campaign is this AMAZING gif:
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”.
Tinashe in dances amazingly SHOCKER. Someone who didn’t get their memo on that is constantino (8): “This obnoxious, basic bop! Charli’s hook girl phase to a tee. Tinashe looks fantastic in the video and is serving some excellent choreo.” We close with Serg. (10): “I can't believe how good this is” Awwwww sweetheart, isn’t it too soon for rate feedbacks?




This performance is a disaster (not on Tinashe’s part, but the fact she only shows up to sing for 10 seconds and steals the scene…)



That's it for today: we're going to start tomorrow with our first tie (I warn you, there will be many). Where do you place your
?
 
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I'm surprised to see Quit You out as early (only by about 15 places or so) but this shows that there's less of a pop-bias in this rate than I had anticipated and the voters are hopefully more here for what she's known and loved for. This bodes well for the Top 5 then!

Also, please don't do the Lost Kings dirty for their Closer ripoff, guys! They've actually some excellent poppy songs.




I kinda wish Tinashe had been the feature on these bops, she would've nailed the vocals on both, even Bad has the contrast in vocal range that she likes to use in her songs.
 
Hate to have to write this, I messed up with the latest scores. It was not Drop That Kitty's time to go, there are two songs before it (the ones that were tied at #69 before). I'm so sorry for that, it's my first time doing this and I still need to figure out how to do everything right and sometimes (many times) I make stupid mistakes. Hope the rest of the rate will go more smoothly. Thank you for your patience, love you all xx


Now let's try to make it up a bit.















Before Text From Your Ex and Jusy Say? It's a bop. Though, I'm not actually that surprised to see it depart this early.



















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#71
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Avg: 6.235
Highest:
8.5x1 (@AshleyKerwin)

Lowest: 3x1 (@TRAVVV)

My Vote: 7

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for: The bridge breakdown



@ohdenny and ha foreshadowing ways!



I actually hammered this quite a lot when it first came out in *hits Wiki tab* January, but I must admit I never came back to it after a week or so. Curiously enough, one of my dearest friends kind of re-enacted this very song a few months ago and it was low-key iconic: she started hooking up with one of her exes and he told her he wanted to take things further, she was the only one and bla bla. Until one day she found him at the club in the arms of another one of his exes. My friend then proceeded to send her a DM over Facebook, telling her that no matter what he’d told her, he’d been with her and who knows how many others. They formed a girl power coalition to leave his sorry ass all alone.



Things like that are honestly what misandrist dreams are all about.



Anyway, back to the song, as I said at the time, with lines like “I got a text from your ex girl” and “I got a text from your ex, boy”, this was one comma away from giving the much-needed representation bi people deserve without it feeling forced or appropriative, as Tinashe herself has been pretty vocal on her bisexuality (but more on that later). But yeah, it was really my fault in the first place for such high-expectations from a Basic Bop™.



Oh, and that referendum line is a bit of a choice.



You didn’t have a lot to say about this one, understandably. Posh Spears (5) is a visual type of gal: “Her not being in the video says it all really”. Would you say it’s… faceless? What do you think Andy French (5)? “I really don’t care for Tinie, and Tinashe’s hook really doesn’t use her voice well but the production’s nice at least?” Funny how it’s the only thing that doesn’t click with phily693 (8): “A lovely song but it's missing something to make it amazing, maybe it's the production?” Not for constantino (8): “I wasn’t sure about this until the beat dropped...fizzy bop! I’ve always been a secret Tinie stan anyway...” If I had my way, you would always stay and you’d be my Tinie dancer, baby!


We end with AshleyKerwin (8.5), the lowest highest-scorer we’ll have I presume, who’s faced with an existential question: “How has she been involved in so many of these collaborations and hasn’t struck gold (or Diamond @RIAA) once?” I don’t know exactly but the fact they sold approximately 2 copies each doesn’t help matters I’m afraid.

 
Let's start the Coverlandia mess


#70


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Avg: 6.382
Highest
: 10x2 (@constantino; @Serg.)

Lowest: 2.5x1 (@AshleyKerwin)

My Vote: 8

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for: Vocals vocals vocals


Our first casualty in the mixtapes. How much we’ll have to wait for the albums? You’ll see. In the meantime, you decided to sacrifice this cutie. Ok…


First things first, it’s an oddball in her discography. It’s the only song where Tinashe is left alone with just a strumming guitar: it’s not our girl at her most spell-binding or bewitching or intriguing, but that is surely something that makes it stand out. It’s also impressive how something so outside her typical style comes from her very first record, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t want her to pick something like this now that her songwriting and vocals are much more refined. Still, I can understand this not being your cup of tea, and it being so bare bones (though it’s one of the reasons I like it) could leave you wanting for more. But it being the worst on In Case We Die? I don’t buy it.


nikkysan (9) sides with me: “This is quite gorgeous. After the heavy electronic sound the rest of the mixtape brought, an acoustic guitar and Tinashe's crooning makes for a great break from it.” while Touchofmyhand (4) tries it: “as forgettable as the interludes it's chucked between”. Look me in the eyes and answer this question: ARE YOU REALLY COMING FOR FADING AND HEAVEN? IN MY THREAD? phily693 (3) comes at the right time and takes the words out of my mouth: “I could've done without this.” Yeah, thank you, couldn’t have replied any better.


constantino (10) guide us through all this: “C’MON CURVEBALL!! Marissa Nadler is shook. This is kinda ooky-spooky but I’m here for it. Take me to the séance, I guess...” I didn’t understand a single word but it all sounds so beautiful!



A little gift to @constantino:
 
#68
e062e1a0-128f-4b34-b184-8f2165f7f586

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Avg: 6.529
Highest
: 10x2 (@WarmBlood11; @ohdenny)

Lowest: 1x1 (@lemonsqueezyy)

My Vote: 9

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for: Those guitar licks. mlmlmlmlmlmlmlmlmlml


I love how particular Just The Way I Like You sounds. Is it a stretch to say it’s Tinashe at her most experimental yet? I don’t think so. It’s no wonder the avant-garde closer to mixtape Amethyst is so polarising among our voters. I get it may be too much, I get the production can get overwhelming, I get there’s not much in terms of structure to hold yourself on to. But at the same time, I don’t. The track is so brilliant I can easily get past its shortcomings. It’s soothing, and the climax is as good as you’d expect from Tinashe. “You know you know YOUUUUU KNOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!” is chill inducing, what a way to end the mixtape on a bang!


We have quite a lot of opinions over here. Let’s start with lowest scorer lemonsqueezyy (1): “Annoying production + nothing really being said lyrically in the song equals a measly score. Not sorry.” I don’t give a fuck about lyrics if a song sounds as dope as this one. Not sorry. TRAVVV (3) needs a doctor appointment: “Help, ears r bleeding”. I’m afraid there’s no cure for lack of taste. Just like the song, we go into a crescendo of opinions. It’s phily693 (and his 4) turn: “The frantic, spinning production is quite disorientating and a bit annoying.” So why don’t you love it?


Posh Spears (5.5) has some qualms with the production as well: “The driving 80mph on a highway with the windows down realness of the production stresses me out a bit.” Ok but why are you all so against a little bit of suffering? Where all my pain and distress gherls at? Where is Love To when you need her most? Oh, wait, nevermind. nikkysan (6.5) mildly praises the song, and I mildly agree: “An alright way of closing out Amethyst, although it drags on for too long and it gets a little bit annoying to listen to.” We finish off with constantino (7): “As far as sexy slow jams go, she has done better, but it’s a great way to close the EP out.” I wouldn’t describe this as particularly sexy, but you’re the closest to a good score here so I won’t be too picky.

 
constantino said:
Bitch, me too. The fuck.





























#67
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Avg: 6.882
Highest:
10x1 (@WarmBlood11)

Lowest: 4x2 (@TRAVVV; @phily693)

My Vote: 8

Worth It (feat. Iamsu) for:
the narrative


I was looking forward to writing this write-up, so in a way I’m not that mad this was the first offering from second mixtape Reverie to be kicked out. But still, what were you thinking when you were underscoring this? Did the narrative completely pass you by? Don’t worry, I’ll explain it in a minute.


The song is about a girl (Tinashe, presumably), who is unexpectedly being kissed by her girl friend. Problem is, even though she doesn’t mind it, they’re not alone, and Tinashe inevitably crumbles down to the social pressure put into place by heteronormativity: at first she “tries to resist”, then she comes up with the best excuse she can, she “needs a man again”, and finally rejects her. But make no mistake: “Ever since I met you what I think of love has changed / Made me question my perception everything was rearranged”. It’s clear what her true feelings are. But she’s “selfish”, she doesn’t want to sacrifice her stable social position and expose herself as something other than strictly heterosexual. It’s not a sweet story, but it’s poignant, and relatable, and it’s important that we have someone out there writing songs about these kind of stories. Even though it references a specific set of events, it’s a safe bet stating all of us have gone through similar feelings at some point in our life. And it takes a great deal of courage to sing about LGBT+ issues, but it takes an even greater one painting yourself in such a negative light as she does here. Tinashe is a complete loser here: she loses as a lover, she loses as a member of society, and, worst of all, she loses as a person. But what’s important is she ultimately wins, in the only she can: using her platform to inform as many people as possible of her experience.


Now, if we had to talk strictly about this song’s sound, I’d have far less celebratory words. It’s interesting, albeit a bit short, but its potential is let down by the production, which completely drowns the track rather than making it shine. It’s really no surprise its producer, TroobAdore, has never done anything else of note before or since. I mean, judge by yourselves:




I feel like I have to school you a lot for this result. I bet if you had dug more into the song’s meaning, you’d have appreciated it much more. Instead, you (rightly) focused on the shortcomings of its production and general sound. Touchofmyhand (6.5) finds it ''Good, but unremarkable. It gets lost in the middle''. I hope after this write-up you’ll find it a little bit more remarkable. And Andy French (9) echoes my sentiment: “WHY IS THIS NOT LONGER.” YEAH WHY ARE YOU ALREADY THE LAST PIECE OF COMMENTARY FROM THE VOTERS. I mean, I know I used constantino in the opening and I could’ve used his words here but still.

 
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