Willpower is a moot point for anyone running an addictive circuit or dependent lifestyle. Rock bottom is never quite rock bottom, and self-destructive behaviors can seem the only way out. In RiverKinn’s latest single “Compulsive” he dives into the mind of a broken soul in search of something, anything, to fill an emotional void.
From Ohio, RiverKinn has been putting out music online for a while (even referring to one of his breakout songs, “Mia Wallace,” in his lyrics). As a singer, rapper, and producer he’s had ample opportunity to tweak and experiment within alternative genres. Listening through his discography, each song is polished and shelved as unique styles of their own.
“Compulsive” begins as an apocalyptic, gothic chant. RiverKinn’s voice sounds confessional, lamenting that “there’s no turning back.” He marches forward into a swifter rap rhythm, “running in circles” to “get out of [his] head” and perpetuating a cycle with a lose-lose endgame.
RiverKinn describes feeling of being gridlocked, surrounded on all sides by a suffocating force. Having “lost the magic” that was once chased after, life appears lightless and unbearable. The self-produced song ends as the antagonist walks slowly away from the burning remains behind him. “It’s too late for that now, left you in the past now,” alludes to the firm decision of moving forward alone.
Sometimes dark and aggressive and sometimes hauntingly melodic, there is no emotion RiverKinn can’t turn into song. If compulsivity is measured by one’s reaction to a given situation, then ours towards Compulsive was strong. Listen to more RiverKinn and his wide-ranging sound spectrum here.