Seldom does one find an artist with the potential that ✦kenji✦ possesses with his blend of Alternative, Emo-Rap, and Anti-Pop. It seems the whole industry is sleeping on the 19-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan native, and this track serving as his debut on A1234 is a testament to that statement. ✦kenji✦ has already struck success with past releases, such as his track, Dreamlord, featuring notable Emo-Rap artists ✦pink cig✦ and Emo Fruits, which has found its way to well over one million streams on Spotify with little to no press coverage. With his cult following, he relocated to Los Angeles at the end of 2021 and released his first track since the move recently, called Pink Whitney. Let’s dive in!

The song describes the mental decay that results from substance abuse and its effect on one’s relationships with love interests and family members. The grim subject is made easily digestible with ✦kenji✦’s incredibly catchy hook that centers around the brand name of a popular alcoholic drink, Pink Whitney. His emotional, yet calculated vocal melodies jive perfectly with the production done by Harry Was Here and himself. The instrumental fits in nicely within the ever-expanding genres of pop-punk and hyper pop, with a gritty electric guitar to serve as the main melody, coupled with distorted 808 patterns, and equally trashed synths that pop in and out throughout the duration of the song. I can’t help but feel this track is a level up from his previous work, which would make sense as ✦kenji✦’s fans commonly refer to him as the “god of evolution”.

Here lies your wake-up call to delve into the work of ✦kenji✦, past and recent, he never seems to miss. I’m eager to follow the rest of this young, but uber-talented artist/producer’s journey through the music industry. Something tells me the best is yet to come…