I’ve sung my praises for the hyper pop community over the years because it’s one of the most open spaces around. Whatever ideas, aesthetic or concepts you have they’re always fully embraced by the collective of fans and musicians. One artist who embodies this ideology is CMTEN, he’s a house hold name to the young hyper pop aficionados of the world because he’s consistently finding ways to evolve his sound through unique experimentation and compelling storytelling. Despite the distorted vocal effects, warped electronics and industrial beats, CMTEN’s music is some of the most down to earth you’ll hear and that’s why I find myself falling head first into his sonic world.

Alive is another marvel from the young artist, his first release in 2022 and he doesn’t disappoint. With his voice blending together pop punk angst, folk emotional intimacy and the charisma of seasoned hip hop artist, this track makes an instant impact and remains in your head long after it has finished playing. The expressive production has a hypnotic quality, finding little nuances through the intricacies of the melodies and thumping bassline that brings you deeper and deeper into his headspace. The narrative driven lyrics paint a vivid picture and, before too long, you’ll swiftly realise the talent CMTEN possesses and why the hyper pop community idolise him so much.

“‘alive’ is the first single from my first ever cohesive work. I dropped an ‘EP’ in 2021, but it was more of a compilation than anything else; since that time, my sound has changed quite a bit, all the while becoming significantly more polished. I’m incredibly proud of the music my friends and I have been working on, and I can’t wait to share this piece of art with the world.”