wingspeak – “Turning Me To Gold”

wingspeak – “Turning Me To Gold” – Single Review

Alrighty…so…we last found wingspeak on the right path back in the final quarter of 2023 with the release of a single called “Valley.”  I don’t usually revisit too much of what I’ve written or what I’ve heard, but I did this time around because I wanted to have “Valley” clear in my head when I was talking about the new single “Turning Me To Gold” to determine whether or not things are still heading in the right direction.  And then I like, became mortified, because I popped open a search window for wingspeak at our site, and realized I’d been capitalizing the name of Bianca Pocpoc’s band this whole time!  True apologies homie.  I know better than that, and what’s even stranger is that I feel like I’ve always known better than that…there are no capital letters in wingspeak…I don’t know how I ended up making such a crucial mistake!  Rest assured, when I get a moment, I’ll go back and fix those articles.

Anyhow!  wingspeak, is indeed back in action – the new single “Turning Me To Gold” is available now.

I feel like I have been back and forth with this song more times than the melody itself flexes in the main hook of the chorus, which is actually saying quite a bit.  Ultimately, I’d probably still be the dude to tell ya that if we’re talking about universal accessibility, “Valley” likely still claims the top spot in that regard in context of what I’ve heard throughout the wingspeak catalog so far.  That being said, artists & bands aren’t always looking to write things specifically with accessibility as the main priority – there can be a million reasons to write a songs, and a million different reasons to judge whether or not something can be deemed successful, you know what I mean?  For example – in the case of “Turning Me To Gold,” Bianca set out to write a song that was essentially thanking all the folks out there that have pushed her towards becoming the more fearless artist that she is now proudly today.  When you’re looking at a single like this from that angle, then you have to acknowledge she’s completely hit the mark and delivered a highly sincere thank-you letter in audible form.  Anyone out there that’s played a role in her evolution as an artist would be stoked to hear how much she’s grown in such a short time as wingspeak.

So…yeah…the sentiment checks out, and the main message of saying thank-you certainly connects.  Those are positive things, without a doubt.  Do qualities like that instantly make a song accessible?  No – again, that’s not really what I’m saying – there are plenty of things about “Turning Me To Gold” that do give it different degrees of accessibility, but the mere act of saying thank-you would just be the one – like I was saying before in regards to “Valley,” that’s more of a universal deal that everyone can hear, whereas this single is likely going to connect with a slightly narrower slice of the audience overall.  And that’s okay!  Sure it’s ideal to grow and expand your listeners and fan-base with every move you make – and I’m not even saying that won’t happen with this song, it very well could – but I am saying that it’s not always something that happens every single time something new comes out.  For us critics and whatnot, we’re usually the ones out there that’ll help the process along by saying something we hear sounds like this or that, which in turn can streamline listeners to finding a new song or artist by reading about something they think they’d like, etc. etc. – so yes, a fan-base can still grow even when a new release isn’t necessarily that much more accessible than the last if at all – everyone still following me?

Let’s narrow this down with a few more specifics that could help in that regard.  According to the notes I’ve got scattered here across my dusty desk, “Turning Me To Gold” was apparently inspired a bit by the early Matchbox Twenty tunes.  And to that, I’d ask Bianca, how?  I was there at the time, I had those first three records when they came out…and if I’m being entirely honest with ya, I’m not hearing that influence on this particular tune.  Y’all see the issue with sound-alikes now right?  They create some kind of strange expectation, and can often hinder the process of you just being you and that being enough.  I probably would have gone with “Turning Me To Gold” being a more seamless fit onto a soundtrack like Empire Records…might have even cited early Soul Asylum or Belly…you get the point…I feel like there are closer comparisons that would likely create a more accurate impression of what wingspeak really has goin’ on here.  I could maybe get behind the Matchbox Twenty thing on a musical level, but vocally, Bianca takes “Turning Me To Gold” to a much different place, and it ain’t just the difference between male and female leads, you feel me?  And she’s a fan…ultimately, she knows that.  There’s a whole lot of music from around that era that she loves…no harm in picking any of that instead…but being objective and as accurate as possible can be fairly crucial when it comes to people out there tuning in for their first listen or two.  In the grand scope of things, she’s going for a late-90s-based sound and she captures that essence, 100%.

Performance-wise, I feel like I’m happy with “Turning Me To Gold” and that Bianca got a lot of mileage outta this single in terms of how memorable it becomes.  Like, you’ll probably start singing this around the house pretty quickly after listening, or have it stuck in your head days later, and you can rest assured that always suggests the material is strong.  For myself personally, I felt like the verses came out great, the instrumentation/solos added some real highlights, and it was the chorus that I was a bit more tossed up over.  The first two lines really…going that high up and feeling like we’re all on pins and needles wondering if Bianca’s gonna get to that right note (spoiler alert, she does)…it’s not that we’re unsure she’ll get there in the end, so much as it can create a less comfortable listen or seem less natural – make sense?  Having said that, it’s the second half of the chorus that saves the day in my opinion – it might not be the most memorable part of the two halves, but it’s definitely the part where you can hear that Bianca settles into what works best for her, and delivers it perfectly with confidence.  Credit where credit is due though – it’s that first half of the chorus you’re likely to be singing around the house the most, and/or what is arguably the most memorable aspect of the song too…so don’t get me wrong, I’m always willing to acknowledge what works, even if something might not personally resonate with me as the number one reason I’d tune into any given tune.  All-in-all, she’s accomplished the goals she set out with in making “Turning Me To Gold” a thank-you letter of sorts, she’s stayed true to the vision for what she wants wingspeak to sound like in that mid/late-90s style, and she’s got something highly memorable in this song at the end of the day, which is really what you want in the release of a single, ain’t it?  So I know…it seems like I’ve got opinions on this or that and all kinds of things, but don’t get me wrong, I’d still tell ya that “Turning Me To Gold” is a solid addition to the wingspeak catalog even if I might not feel like it’s quite as strong as “Valley” was from last year.  It’s a quality tune, and she’s executing like a true professional while still retaining that youthful Indie spirit.  Bonus points for the keyboard/organ goin’ on under the surface of this shiny single too.  I still feel like Bianca is leading her band in the right direction, and I’d still say I very much believe that the best we’ll hear from her will be revealed in the future ahead.

Find out more about wingspeak at the official page at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/wingspeakmusic

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