Rising alt-pop sensation Eliza Prymak makes a triumphant return with a whimsically deep new single, "tongue in cheek." Mixing the silkiness of modern R&B with the rhythmic shout of pop rap and a hint of alt-pop intrigue, the track is emotionally daring, a winning combination that's very much Prymak's calling card. Penned from a place of spiritual irony, Eliza says the song is an exploration of what it's like when life seems to be writing our story with a grin.
And there's a duality that she leans into beautifully in the phrase "tongue in cheek," the divine intervention with a whiff of sarcasm, the playfully tugging love woven through the experience. It's intelligent, self-aware, and it's entirely Eliza. Prymak brings it with a gentle power, her classical training in voice and jazz guitar in evidence in her phrasing and tone. The production, constructed with a smooth R&B texture as its base and a fluttering pop-rap cadence as its guide, bolsters her without eclipsing her message.
For a young artist who grew up in rural northern Virginia and whose résumé as a teenage singer-songwriter includes national tours, classical training at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and attendance at Nashville's Belmont University songwriting program, "tongue in cheek" sounds like a next confident chapter. It's polished yet personal, catchy yet contemplative, walking the line between entertainment and introspection like a tightrope walker with nothing to prove.
Eliza Prymak is one of the genre-bending pop creatives raised on the sounds of Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse, but adamant about carving her own lane every step of the way. She's returning "tongue in cheek," and she's also making a statement. That it's okay to laugh a little, to dance with the absurdity of it all, to see the beauty in the ironies. If nothing else is clear, life's a joke and Eliza Prymak is turning it into a perfect song.
great song and even greater review!
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