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Calling back to early 2000s club music, Micah Emrich emits a catchy and virile sound that captures the essence of songs that made Justin Timberlake famous.
With his new single, “I Can Be Your Someone,” Emrich pushes a pointed narrative common within the genre of love-soaked R&B. It’s a story of unrequited love based on people being unprepared to commit to something permanent — whether it’s because of bad timing, personal beliefs or simple hesitation. Emrich puts himself in the shoes of someone brave or stupid enough to wait.
Waiting on love like a dog at the door after your owner pulls a double is a feeling most people can relate to. Hanging on to hope that a person you connected with will go all in on you is a level of vulnerability not everyone is able to commit to. However, with a saucy and layered production, Emrich moves that feeling to hips grinding away on the dance floor.
The song has all the staples of an early 2000s R&B pop song. A breezy drum machine, deep bass and layers of vocal harmonies make Emrich’s heartache shine throughout the track. Just by listening intently, you can feel the sense of longing with every note in this song:
Take ya back to a time
(It feel like yesterday )
Back when you didn’t listen
(To what the people say)
Cause now you say you wanna keep this on the low
But lately it’s been out of control
When you invite me over and I go to ya place
You say we gotta be quiet
(You knows it’s getting late)
Everyone’s asleep, sleep, sleep
But you’re the one who’s yelling my name
The rhythm section has a vivid syncopation that lights up the entirety of the song. Hearing the beat sway through every other piece of instrumentation is evocative of romance. The feelings might change constantly throughout anyone’s time with love, but losing yourself in it can feel so sweet.
Look, cause it’s like every single day
I swear I find myself thinking
Maybe next time we’ll both decide to take it slow
And they say that, yeah
They say that talk is cheap
So for you I would do anything
But I guess if that’s really not an option
You don’t want nothing
Just wanna be friends
Does it come with benefits?
There’s a level of self-indulgence that comes from listening to this song. To Emrich, indulgence and love is best enjoyed together, because everyone deserves to treat themselves to a good night. The bright synth and slick guitar do a great job of mirroring the level of satisfaction Emrich believes comes from being patient. However, there are deep levels of doubt that exist in his brain.
His devotion is everything, but the constant pining can result in a feeling of loss from the lack of returned love. Pushing his doubt through an onslaught of slick melodies that give way to a tonal shift of a bridge with a brief acapella section. The begging hangs heavy on the soul, but as much as Emrich wants to give it all up and move on, he just can’t.
The muted doubt is broken by a light chord pattern that shocks the heart back into place, rebuilding the foundation for a tight finish:
So you can hit me when you don’t
Wanna wait too long
(Wait too long now)
I can be your someone
(Yeah I could be your someone baby)
Said girl, you can hit me when you don’t
Wanna wait too long
(Wait too long now)
I can be that someone
Culminating with an intentionally pointed release, Emrich cuts deep through the self with a sharply sweet instrumentation. The song grinds its way to a final conclusion that retains a level of charming naivete, with deep grooves that are easy to fall into. “I Can Be Your Someone” is a redefinition on what it means to be a lover through a well-executed ode to the early 2000s.
Feel free to reminisce with “I Can Be Your Someone” by clicking the player at the top of the page and catching the song live on 88Nine today (6:30 and 10:30 a.m.; 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.). The track gets its official release this Friday, March 27.
Jonathan Joseph is a Milwaukee-based multimedia freelance journalist who specializes in art and culture writing (and all things Milwaukee), with work appearing on Radio Milwaukee and in Milwaukee Magazine. Contact him via email or find him on LinkedIn.