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We talk about music genres and categories all the time, at least journos like me do, but the best music is always made in the liminal spaces between those pronounced demarcations and generic divides. And that is certainly true of “hope u feel ok,” the new single from Rob Eberle. I guess it comes down to one thing, really. Is a song good or not? “hope u feel ok” is good. It’s so good, in fact, that it already sounds like a song you have been listening to for half your life, which is at least one definition of a classic, I guess.
So, why does it work so well? Because it takes all the best bits of all manner of genres and eras, swerves any associated cliches and unnecessary baggage, and builds a signature sound out of those musical elements. Pop infectiousness, rock grooves, soulful sentiment and indie cool are all found within, not to mention some very personal yet totally relatable lyrics.
It’s the oldest story in the book. Boy meets girl; boy is hated by girl’s parents, boy loses girl, boy has a hard time trying to move on, boy writes a song to help the healing process. A familiar tale perhaps, but rarely has it been done with such deftness and delicacy, with such empathy and understanding as it is here.
