VINDATA
All I Really Need (ft Kenzie May)
This song brings back so many memories of 2015 when I really got into electronic music and OWSLA, it has such a nostalgic feeling to it.
“All I Really Need” is a soft, dreamy record that blends future-bass and electronic R&B to create atmospheric electronic music with emotional and soulful undertones.
Kenzie uses vivid drug metaphors and intimate confessions to paint a picture of two people caught in a coping loop - craving escape but knowing it’s finite.
The instrumental blends dreamy electronic textures with a slow, bass-heavy rhythm that feels both dreamy and grounded. The song starts with what sounds like reversed piano chords and a chiming sound that gives the impression of moving backwards whilst the soft drums keeps the tracking moving forward creating this surreal soundscape.
The faint organ in the background - quite a grounding instrument often associated with churches and religious ceremonies - adds a subtle spiritual undertone, tying with the songs theme of searching for inner peace.
During the chorus and pre-chorus, bird-like synths sings from the left, adding a sense of nature and peace to the track. It creates a soothing atmosphere that helps envision the calm, green setting typically associated with marijuana which is mentioned in this track to be Kenzie’s preferred substance. A more dance-driven arpeggiated synth plays during the chorus, accompanied by double time hi-hats that pushes that track with energy. The synth textures, used with slight vibrato elevate the lush, ethereal atmosphere giving the song a dreamy sense of motion.
Kenzie’s unique vocals are soft, airy and intimate, floating gently over the instrumental. She carries a quiet, vulnerable tone, perfectly matching the tracks dreamy and introspective atmosphere
“Baby boy bad as you wanna be” playfully acknowledges her drug dealers rebellious and edgy behaviour. By calling him “Baby boy”, she places herself in a position of control or awareness as it could show that Kenzie can see through his façade, implying it might not be who he truly is but a performance he commits to survive.
“Goes on trips for the scenery” can be seen as a means of escape - either through physical travel or drug use. Drugs are a common use of escape especially hallucinogens as they create vivid, colourful visions that offer and temporary relief from reality, suggesting he abuses drugs to avoid his problems.
“Take me with get me from my door sir, but don’t you dare come any closer”
“You’ve been chasing new things fallen our of love with Molly”
“I’m always with Mary, she don’t like your good friend Charlie”