I like the breathy atmosphere at the beginning and the pensive guitars at :05. The production is a bit bizarre here. The mixing effects on the vocals are pretty heavy, and the guitars are very reverberant. I really like the lyrics, although sometimes the vocals sound a little thin and strained in the higher register (i.e., 1:10), and I wish the drums were a bit louder during the refrain too. Sometimes the vocals cut off before you really articulate the syllable you’re singing, like at “hand” at 2:04. Without the lyrics in the author’s description, I would have no idea what you’re saying. Overall, the piece is well-structured, although at some point a breakdown or solo would’ve been nice to give the composition a little more shape. The piece also gets a little repetitive by the end, with not enough variety in the instrumental tracks, harmonic content, or structure.

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
7/10