“Harder” by Malsi

Decisions. Decisions. Just as The Clash asked, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, singer Malsi’s “Harder” asks out loud if leaving a relationship is the right way to go, and why is it so easy for some and harder for others? Why do some people always have to complicate things and others just keep things easy breezy. Malsi channels all that is good in pop music and carves out a sound that is uniquely her own in the pop/soul jam “Harder”.

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Malsi, a female singer that hails from Boston, utilizes a music base with pop flavorings and a drum track that brings a lot of soul to the track. “Harder” on the surface sounds a lot like most pop songs – which isn’t a bad thing – but after a few listens, Malsi’s artistry weaves its wicked awesome stamp. She’s a cool cat with a voice that feels fresh, yet familiar. There’s a kindness and a feeling of connection when she sings of her mind running…we’ve all been there. You’re second guessing and trying to understand why some people in your life are so much harder to deal with. As the saying goes, “if it were easy then everyone would do it.” I think the confidence of the protagonist in “Harder” by the end of the song is a great reminder that we’re all human and it’s just part of life, a part of having relationships that some people grind the wheel. Some people grease the wheels.

Fans that enjoy Arianna Grande, Nelly Furtado and even Fergie will enjoy Malsi. She’s young sounding. She’s also got a spike in her voice that makes you think she’s a bit wiser beyond her years than she’s letting on. She’s broad in scope in this song in the content, but she does have depth. She’s not a robot. Her voice is definitely made for the pop genre. It’s congenial. She’s not a vanilla-sounding drone. What would have been nice is to have an actual band backing her. I think that’s the missing magic in “Harder”, that unspoken synergy that happens in the studio and onstage. I think she would excel, and I also think production wise, it might create for dramatic layering. Still, “Harder” has a wonderful groove and her overall tone is memorable. The music bed is interesting enough that it’s not machine-like or pattern sounding. It just needs that extra oomph, that extra flavoring. It’s so close!

I-TUNES: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/malsi/1102175774

Overall, “Harder” is a great track and one worth discovering. It’s one of those songs that might take a while to build, it’s a slow burn, but I could easily see this song catching wildfire organically. Malsi seems to be on the edge of something big – she’s got the vocal talents to build a fanbase. I think “Harder” is a great song for her arsenal, but it’s not the homerun she needs just yet. I think this is just the first inning for an artist like Malsi, and she’s on her way to a lasting artistic career.

Samuel Pratt