Indie Light

Royal & the Serpent is the performing name of New Jersey based singer/songwriter and musician, Ryan Jillian Santiago. Today I’ll be reviewing her single ‘Overwhelmed’ which was released via Atlantic Records on October 16th 2020.

Before I continue with the review I very quickly want to share an anecdote regarding this song. So it gained considerable popularity, and I first discovered it on TikTok, however due to my severe ADHD, I suffer from sensory overload if I’m bombarded with too much stimuli at once meaning that TikTok just an a core level is overstimulating to me. However not only is one of my side hustles, helping to manage social media, but as a music journalist, I need to stay up to date with new platforms, particularly ones where music is thriving, so the irony is not lost on me that I discovered a track called ‘Overwhelmed’ on a platform which if I’m being completely honest overwhelms me. Anyways, with that story shared, let’s begin get on with the review.

‘Overwhelmed’ opens with the staticky warm up that I associate with old televisions, followed by a 911 soundbite, before a discordant melody, and a percussive beat merge with Royal & the Serpents synthy vocals. As the name suggests this track is fast driven, and has a lot of energy, hammering forward. It’s really catchy though, and it’s the type of song you can kind of get lost in. I particularly like the counterpoint between the slower, more subdued sections and the parts with the high energy instrumentals which create a busy backdrop, to some quick paced vocal delivery. Honestly though its hard to pin down why this song works so well, I guess because it kinda provides an external source for my own internal monologue, that and it’s just a phenomenal track, both catchy and memorable, deep and almost flighty at the same time. It was a real treat to discover on Tik Tok and I’m glad I had a chance to review it properly.

So that’s what I thought of ‘Overwhelmed’ by Royal & the Serpent and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the artist by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and by visiting their website.