No, You Can’t Kill 070 Shake
With careening vocals and an intrinsically genre-bending style, 070 Shake’s sophomore album You Can’t Kill Me finds perfection in its imperfections. The fourteen-track album is diverse, expansive, and introspective. It offers the best and the worst of Shake’s psyche through tormented lyrics and victorious synth for a true masterpiece that is easily one of my favorite albums of the year thus far.
(What is your favorite flower?)
Questions become answers (I wanna know)
Answers become lessons
(What is your favorite)
Questions become answers (Flower?)
Answers become lessons (I wanna know)
Babe, I need to know (What is)
-“Web”
“Web” kicks off You Can’t Kill Me with two minutes of a growing vocal chorus and velvety synth. Asking for answers and seeking face-to-face interactions within her relationship, “Web” sets the tone of the album sonically and lyrically with a deep understanding of the trials and tribulations of relationships and self for Shake.
“Invited” follows the tone set by “Web” with an easy transition between the songs of ground-shaking synth and lyrics that feel almost like a prayer. While planning a one-night hookup, Shake is cognizant of past mistakes made within this relationship in “Invited.” The track features a variety of modified vocals as Shake attempts to atone for her mistakes through sent blessings and well wishes.
Track three, titled “History,” finds multiple sonic shifts and vocals that oscillate 070 Shake between leading the track and losing herself to heavy sweeping synths. “History” grapples with losing love, continuing the story of the previous tracks and devolving into the pain of absence. The opening trilogy of songs offers some of 070 Shake’s regret on a silver platter, opening herself up to criticize her pitfalls in love and life through her signature synth-laden styling.
You were low
You were low and I was your medicine
You were low and sick
When you were sick, babe, I was your medicine
I'm your oxygen
But I'm cuttin' off your supply
-“Medicine”
With a subversive synth introduction that is ready-made for a Sci-Fi Thriller, “Medicine” is an easy stand-out on You Can’t Kill Me. Pushing away from the self-reflection and the regret of the first three tracks, “Medicine” finds hyper-awareness of a relationship where Shake was being harmed by the energy of their previous partner. The lyrics tell a direct story while leaving the exact subject matter blurred, resulting in a track that encapsulates the emotions of various toxic relationships and partnerships that demand too much out of one person. Her vocals mix pain and fury as she ebbs between vocal foreground and background, severing ties from this relationship but struggling to come to terms with the treatment received.
Track five shifts subjects slightly as “Skin and Bones” focuses on having good moments with a former flame. Declaring that she will always be by the side of her ex-lover, 070 Shake recounts the way this person recognizes her body and soul, expanding on the deep connection tethering the two together even through their struggles. The outro feels as though Shake is drowning in an ocean of synth as she sings out hope that in her next life she will find this lover again, engrossed in the misery of her own previous mistakes but hopeful for a future with love.
Blue velvet
You wore the first night that I felt it
I felt the touch of you
I'm worried I could lose you any second
I'll always remember
-“Blue Velvet”
“Blue Velvet” clocks in a reminiscent track six, utilizing almost crooning vocals over a punch of drums to remember the connection that slipped through her fingers. The intro of the track begins with a pulsating heartbeat before pulling in escalating synth and drum beats that dissolve from frightful to subtle as Shake’s affectionate lyrics drop in. Associating the color blue with the clothing her former love wore on their first date, Shake flips between being fearful of losing everything and being cognizant of how they can never fully forget the connection shared between her and her ex. “Blue Velvet” hits an almost euphoric sonic moment as we bear the midpoint of the album.
The following track “Cocoon” pulls a full 180 on the energy to enter into the back half of You Can’t Kill Me. Firing on all sonic cylinders, “Cocoon” finds 070 Shake rebirthing herself out of her misery, barrelling full force towards self-love no matter what (or who) is in her way.
Track 8, titled “Body,” features lilting vocals offered by Christine and The Queens as Shake lusts over the song’s subject. Shake’s vocals find various modifications throughout the track, creating a rotating cast of viewpoints or reminiscent moments for Shake. Layering the chorus of vocals onto expansive synths and easy beats, “Body” finds a comfortable seat before falling into buzzing white noise as the track fades.
The media will turn us against each other
The devil is out workin' undercover
He's the baddest bitch in your bed
He is the thoughts that are in your head
-“Wine & Spirits”
“Wine & Spirits” bares 070 Shake’s heart, acknowledging her own mistakes and also hoping for continued connection with a flame. As she grapples with the damage her thoughts can cause in her life, Shake longs for the chance to be together through the chaos that surrounds her. Sonically, “Wine & Spirits” is more simple in its production, offering Shake’s pleading vocals to shine while still giving engaging and stunning instrumentation and also giving listeners a brief recluse into their solitary emotions.
“Come Back Home” continues this story with Shake’s awareness of the mistakes she is making by getting into bed with her toxic flame, yet she cannot seem to pull herself away from the fire that threatens to consume her. Beginning with a comforting piano line, “Come Back Home” devolves quickly into Shake’s desperation after the first verse in which she apologizes to her mother for dancing with the devil. As she falls further for her temptations, Shake’s vocals fade further and further within the bridge before being swallowed by a synth outro of swirling noise and alarms.
Press pause on times, say, say, say
Fuck mе with your vibe, yeah-yeah-yeah
I look in your eyes
Tell me truth, tell me lies
Either way, I'm not surprised
-“Purple Walls”
Unfortunately for Shake’s quests in love, “Vibrations” explores life immediately after her love story falls apart and burns her. The first minute and twenty seconds feel like a separate interlude, within which different voices create ticking noises of a clock and comment on running out of time. After this introduction fades out, Shake drops in with verses detaching herself from the relationship and tries to play off any heartbreak under chill energy and smooth vocals. The song epitomizes Shake’s guarded energy within her relationships, refusing to fully give herself away to a partner in fear of trust being broken, or worse, her heart being snapped in half.
“Purple Walls” follows with 070 Shake struggling to break ties with her on again off again flame. The two are toxic for each other and Shake is aware of it, yet cannot seem to fully get away from the pull of her partner. As she bounces through “Vibrations” and “Purple Walls”, we can see Shake becoming more and more aware of the situationship she is in, yet she seems reluctant to let go of the enigmatic relationship in favor of continuing the cycle of misery for herself.
I'm down on the floor
Can't get up alone
Treat you like a drug
Can't just overdose
I let you pack your bags
And head up out that door
I feel so alone
I can't let that go
-“Stay”
In the penultimate track “Stay,” Shake’s partner decides for both of them by leaving the relationship. Unable to cope with the finality of the loss, 070 Shake turns to unhealthy coping mechanisms in desperation as she begs her ex to come back and stay with her. The desperation of Shake’s pleas builds throughout the track both vocally and instrumentally, reaching a peak with multiple vocal layers as a buzzing builds and then consumes the entire song.
Closing out You Can’t Kill Me is “Se Fue La Luz,” which translates to “the power went out.” Losing power, or losing that hope of a relationship, ends You Can’t Kill Me like a passionate obituary for the relationship Shake experienced and ponders how she could have made it better. The track holds onto the general aura of the album yet holds a resigned understanding of closure, tying up the loose ends left in the wake of Shake’s destruction through passionate vocalism and a steady strut of a drum beat forward to new things for her.
I should've made it easier for ya
I should've left
There's things that we don't gotta talk about
There's something that should've been said
That would've made it easier for me
And now you don't gotta keep lyin' to me
'Cause you're far away in my head
But I would still go there again
-“Se Fue La Luz”
I’ve spent two months listening to You Can’t Kill Me and rewriting this article over and over again. I struggled as I continually found new meaning in each line and unexpected sounds I hadn’t before processed through each listen. I could go on for days about this album without repeating myself once, it's quite literally just that good. What I’ve learned throughout this long listening process is that, more than anything, You Can’t Kill Me is best defined as both beautiful and destructive in equal parts. The curation of each track is intentional in its melting vocals and impassioned synths, musically guarding 070 Shake’s soul-bearing lyricism that morphs through emotions and experiences.
You simply cannot listen to You Can’t Kill Me once and have the full experience offered by 070 Shake, yet you fall deeper into the album’s lure with each re-listen you complete. There is no one way to define You Can’t Kill Me or one understanding to gain from the curation of its full run time. The reckless abandon found within many of its tracks makes Shake’s experience a shared one with the listener. I truly implore anyone reading this to give this album 49 minutes of your undivided attention, as I can firmly guarantee you will not be disappointed by the artistry that is 070 Shake’s You Can’t Kill Me.
