Review by Jamie Glenn
Hailing from Las Cruces, New Mexico, Parker Layton has just released his debut single, “Keep In Touch,” a smooth electronic/ synthpop single that questions the changes of love. The single sounds like the perfect song to groove to with the windows down and the sound up. “Keep In Touch” carries a simplistic lyrical presence, but when matched with the catchy electronic pop beat threaded throughout, this is bound to be a bop this summer.
Parker has debuted this first single at a perfect time and may even remind most listeners of One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan. Layton looks and sounds most like the Irish pop star with his smooth vocals and electronic / clap backdrops. The chorus of this track, “I say let’s just break up, but I hope that we can keep in touch” is where the strongest lyrics and smooth electronic pop sounds really come together.
This upbeat electronic sound is matched with an unsteady clash of questioning of a relationship and where the two stand. Layton’s sings, “I started questioning, somethin is changin cause we feel like strangers.” Much of the lyrical content throughout this track questions the stability of the relationship in question and could be very relatable for most listeners.
“‘Keep in Touch’ reflects the perfect vibe for me as an artist. The song is about not wanting to end a relationship, but something’s wrong and I want the girl to tell me, even if it hurts. If we have to go our separate ways, then I hope we can keep in touch,” says Layton (Source)
The music video for this track helps entice the listener through the lyrics with its light color tones, bedroom setting, and closeups of Parker delivering his lyrics with emotion and depiction of a cityscape. Overall, this helps make this a song not only worth listening to, but also worth watching.
Too often songs of this nature show listeners the side of a relationship when it’s fresh and new, but here we’re given a much more realistic depiction of what hardships can be faced when a relationship has reached its end. Instead of playing sad-toned lyrics against sad instrumentation, Parker Layton makes a smart choice by choosing optimistic lyrics that could really play in his favor as he moves up in the music scene as an emerging artist.
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