There is something about a person rapping over a beat that has an extremely nostalgic, looped sample laced throughout. Something about a song like ‘so tired of tears’ by quinn, with its instantly memorable vocals from the classic Ne-Yo track ‘So Sick’, blending into the ever infectious flow that quinn consistently showcases on her songs, that feels like blissful equilibrium to me. This is almost identical to the experience I had while listening to ‘Way Back’ by Zuro. 

With a notably melancholic slant instrumentally- a point that producer 1sadboii makes certain is picked up on instantly via the looped Sleeping With Sirens sample of the song ‘Scene Three: Stomach Tied in Knots’, that opens the track. When Zuro raps on this one I get a homesick feeling, between bars about missing days’ passed, and a punchy beat. All of this backed by Kellin Quinn’s repeating vocals, singing ‘I can’t even live with myself, and I can’t live without you now, oh oh oh’, makes for one of the best songs I’ve heard in 2023.

Stream Way Back: soundcloud.com/nickzuro/way-back-prod-1sadboii?si=a5200a213e19460ca488da021617def6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

Follow zuro: www.instagram.com/zurowg/?hl=en 

Written By Em Bishoff: twitter.com/emofc_