Tai Verdes, a singer-songwriter who rose to fame thanks to TikTok, released a new album entitled “HDTV.” The album was released on Sept. 16 and fans were filled with anticipation that this new set of songs would be instant favorites. 

Although I had heard Verdes’ song “A-O-K” all over TikTok, I didn’t really know what to expect when it came to “HDTV.”  Right off the bat, I was confused with the title of his album. It sounded a little too similar to a certain popular home renovation channel for me to get on board with it. After scouring the internet, I found the reasoning behind the name: Tai Verdes is entering his “high definition” era. Hopefully the less than creative album name is not an indication of the songs to come. 

The first song in Verdes’ collection is “Kingdom Come.” With an upbeat melody full of various horn instruments, if you had told me this song was a part of Bruno Mars’ collaboration with Silk Sonic, I would have believed you in an instant. In hindsight, this opener is not a representation of the entire album, but merely an anomaly. “Kingdom Come” is by far the most unique and catchy song throughout the entire album. 

The next song in the album is “Last Day on Earth.” This song utilized the trumpets and horn instruments present in “Kingdom Come,” but instead of an uptempo beat, it was more of a smooth jazz. If the only song you have ever heard from Verdes is “A-O-K,” this song would not surprise you in the slightest. It is a very chill, alternative song that uses a very repetitive lyric throughout the chorus with more “rap-like” verses thrown in. 

After “Last Day on Earth,” the songs became a blur to me. Verdes’ album is only an hour long and yet it feels like half of that hour is the same song. I skipped song after song, looking for a change in tempo, instrument and structure, but I couldn’t find anything that didn’t resemble the previous song. It wasn’t until I found “Clyde and Bonnie” that the songs became interesting again. 

“Clyde and Bonnie” has the same horn instruments, but with more depth than in other songs. Verdes layers background singers to create an illusion of a crowded room. He also combines the more jazzy aspects of the horns with an electronic synthesizer. This song and many more in the album remind me of popular artists Quinn XCII, Still Woozy, and Bryce Vine. 

While HDTV had some breakout songs that stood apart from the pack, the majority blended in and lacked creativity in production. Most of the album attempted to recreate the success of “A-O-K” through a formulaic process of a chill beat, horn instruments and clever word play. It almost seemed as if Verdes only wanted “TikTok-able” songs that would do well if they were cut up into short clips. Overall, while this album featured several songs that I enjoyed, most of them were repetitive and overdone. 

Rating: 6/10