Plastic Teardrops is the brilliant solo project of Spanish mastermind composer and multi-instrumentalist Ramon Arnella. The project blends Alternative music with Trip-Hop in a beautiful blend that veteran fans of the genre can love as well the Gen Z’ers who have yet to discover it. The latest release from Plastic Teardrops is the highly decorated and rich single We Got Time, and it caught my attention today.
The song begins with soft airy female vocals that are only accompanied by a guitar with a set of special effects. Most of the “verse” parts of the songs sound like this, and there is a sort of movement with percussion and some ambient sounds that matches with the singer’s melancholic energy and her gloomy sorrowful tone.
It’s worth mentioning that the lyrics are top tier, the vocal performance is impeccable, and the lady’s vocal delivery with this specific kind of guitar driven Trip Hop instantly reminded me of bands like The Gathering and Anathema.
The mid section of the song and some of the second half make use of some strings, playing like a solo instead of a full orchestra or a quartet, and this arrangement further increases the sense of loneliness and estrangement and helps the mood for the dark and depressing story that the lady is telling with her serene ethereal vocals.
All in all, this is a haunting song that will definitely run through your head for days and days after the listen. The guitars and percussion work so well with each other, and the additional and ambient sounds only appear when needed and when they serve an actual purpose to the song, making this number much more understandable and accessible to Gen Z listeners and people who aren’t familiar with this genre. It’s an incredible composition with a little something for everyone thrown in its details, and for that, I totally fell in love with this release.