Marina Vanoff’s latest single is a minimal, gritty expression of anger and sadness. A brooding anthem for the heartbroken, ‘Chino’ is a distinctive song with a visceral feeling of darkness that’s balanced and, in an inexplicable way, reasonably soothing.
Los Angeles-based Marina Vanoff is a singer and songwriter who is following up the success of her previous single ‘Carousel’ with ‘Chino’, a single about the angry kind of heartbreak that comes with the feeling of being used and betrayed. Vanoff has taken a decidedly minimal approach to the song’s structure and sound, deciding to resort to the visceral grittiness of her rhythm guitar, just a step after the edge of overdriving the amplifier to break up.
The song’s minimal beat and bass line, doubled over by the simple and brooding chord progression and the guitar’s scruffy tone, all work in support of Vanoff’s fantastic vocal delivery. Emotional and balanced, Vanoff delivers challenging lines with exceeding smoothness, good control, and a restraint that mirrors the song’s general reservedness. A sublimely balanced arrangement makes ‘Chino’ an artfully immersive song that lures the listener and surrounds them with the darkness of the chords, the words, and the skeletal sound of it all.
‘Chino’ is not only a good, simple, well-produced piece of distinctive alternative pop, it is also a showcase of a songwriter who knows how to harness the energy out of very few elements to construct something cohesive and intentional. ‘Chino’ is very sad, but also really good.
