Single Review: “Retail Therapy” Neha

For centuries musicians have tried to capture that incredible feeling of being focused on nothing more than their craft, and indie rapper Neha contributes her interpretation of what it means to find that vibe in her new single “Retail Therapy.” Utilizing her signature melodic flow, she dispenses pure poetry over a hard arrangement that borrows from vintage rap and contemporary trap music equally, makes a strong impression in its own right, and isn’t restricted by populist trends and fads of the moment. She bears her soul to us in this song and imparts something through her music that words alone just aren’t capable of describing.

Neha’s rapping is the centerpiece of “Retail Therapy,” but it in no way overshadows the opulence of the instrumentation, which is perfectly timed with her pendulous verses. The melody that starts us off on this path varnishes the tone in old-school elements but doesn’t overstate its presence as the light percussion creates a foundation for the beat. When Neha starts to rap, or even when she sings in the chorus, the rhythm doesn’t modulate or shift; her stage has been set, and she joins in with the beat seamlessly.

The textures get a little chunkier in the chorus, but the mix never lets them protrude from their spot into Neha’s, which is cushioned by the bassline and the fragile, somewhat hollow drumming. Her vocals penetrate the percussion and echo between the beats as if to assert her dominance, but even if the production didn’t favor her rapping as much as it does there’s no debating that she makes this song the sweet slice of hip-hop that it is.

In the lyrics of “Retail Therapy,” Neha tells us simply and plainly where she stands, and the relationship between this narrative and the brittle drumming is, to me, the most provocative thing this song has to offer. The percussion is steady and consistent, while her words are lush and self-sustaining. Almost like two entities with different ways of expressing themselves, the beat and the lyrics present us with two sides of the same coin; on the one hand, the drums want us to follow their path while on the other the verses want us to leap with Neha and Neha alone. Together they help define the emotional fabric of this single and its music video, for that matter.

Hip-hop fans looking for an exciting and relatable sound to get the autumn rolling needn’t look further than what Neha has produced in “Retail Therapy.” Sporting all the multifaceted elegance of a swaggering pop single with the genuinely organic passion of hip-hop at its finest and most unguarded, this is the sort of song that tells us more about the nature of the artist than it does the state of her scene. In this track, she’s vulnerable, earnest, and even a little playful. Above all else she sounds like she’s being herself with us, and amidst the industrial stagnation of modern music that makes her a true diamond in the rough.

Amanda Beeler