Pryor Stroud: A neo-funk hipster with pouty vocal stylings and a faux masculine cool á la 3OH!3, DRELLER could headline some otherworldly music festival where the crowd — still decked out in next-wave fashion and reeling on psychedelics — paid for tickets that sanctioned and thereby outright encouraged the right to cry your eyes out while dancing. “Control”, in this formulation, would be the opener — that is, the track that gets your feet moving and unleashes the pools congregating around your tear ducts. Centered around a Chic-like, gnashing-of-the-strings guitar chomp that turns into a processed toy piano joyride, “Control” postures itself as a lamentation about a lover’s sadistic tendencies, but the song’s melodramatic pomp hints that this perception of sadism may just be a part of DRELLER’s own emotional masochism. It’s self-inflicted, but the act of infliction — most palpable in the Prince-inspired jaunt of the chorus — leaves a mark on you too. [8/10]
Alexandra Fletcher: It’s clear that Dreller is an artist who pays attention to detail. The intricacies in sound are really interesting to hear; The way he manipulates a synth to create the sound of falling glass. I couldn’t help but think of a more musically intelligent version of Passion Pit without the harmonies. A multifaceted artist, the video stands alone as an artistic piece devoid of the music. [7/10]
Morgan Y. Evans: The super trippy video is an admirable creative experience that looks like something planned for the Liquid Television resurrection for Millennials from a few years ago. The slinky song has some good moments like the singer wants to be Prince more than Beck or something but the lyrics are really secondary. The 2:45 robot freak out vortex part is the coolest. Without the awesome animation this would be less effective. Rather listen to Youth Code and Animal Collective simultaneously on acid or something. [4/10]
Emmanuel Elone: I loved this song. The instrumental was so smooth, emotive and fresh; it was nothing that I ever heard before. The funky guitar and quirky electronics added to the originality and excellent musicality of the song. However, DRELLER’s lyrics and vocals awed me. When he sings “I gave you my all” on the hook, it’s emotive and powerful enough to make me want to dance, cry and smile at the same time. It’s an excellent song whose sections come together to make a near-perfect piece of art. [9/10]
Chris Ingalls: All over the place, in a good way. Controversy-era minimalist Prince funk mixes with some earnest retro new wave crooning. Throw in a Vocoder and some leftover keyboard sounds from Tame Impala’s Currents and suddenly, you have a big, messy single guaranteed to turn this proverbial mother out. [7/10]
Chad Miller: Sounds like rock of the past while incorporating some cool alien-esque sounds. There’s not a lot to this song, but everything it brings is done well. [6/10]
SCORE: 6.83
And here’s “One Night Stand” for a bit more fun…