Here’s a tune to get lost in: MSTR Rogers just released a single, “Don’t You Think,” that attacks listeners with a vast soundscape of heavy synth and airy vocals. “Don’t You Think” takes us to a lush forest, piles on a dense sonic canopy, and echoes hauntingly with Aanysa’s vocals before thrusting us out the other side.
“Don’t You Think” is a verdant soundscape of swelling synths and earnest vocals. Burgeoning singer Aanysa melds with Rogers’s production as Rogers’s synths enthrall the listener, just in time for Aanysa’s yearning vocals to reach out and grab us.
Their convergence builds tension quickly, then resolves into an explosive chorus where both Rogers and Aanysa both establish clearly why they are such blossoming talents in EDM.
Thematically, “Don’t You Think” leans heavily into yearning nostalgia. “I don’t know what I would be without you/I don’t know why/Why I say I don’t need you when I know I do,” whispers Aanysa, reflecting on some unknown, lost bond.
The musical arrangement reflects her nostalgia. Rogers’s synths articulate a sense of vastness that Aanysa’s vocals almost – but not quite – gets lost in. Like a near-impenetrable forest, listening to “Don’t You Think,” illustrates Rogers’s experience. His production bellows a soundscape that seemingly competes with Aanysa’s vocals.
In that competition, though, there emerges a more energetic balance, that of longing cleaving through the endless forces that seek to repress it, that of emotional clarity defeating a fog of insecurity.
Aanysa’s vocals blend well with Rogers’s production. Her voice treads the line between youthful and experienced. It’s this balance that gives her the energy to break through the vast synths in “Don’t You Think,” but simultaneously enables her to hold ground against the polished production.
Overall, “Don’t You Think” gives MSTR Rogers fans a solid entry into his oeuvre. Because MSTR Rogers’s just kicked off his solo career in 2015, it’s hard to say where the song fits into his overall catalog. Still, given his penchant for creating consistent tunes with solid production, I think we can expect more solid tunes – if not outright bangers – from the British/Aussie artist.