Montell Fish, a 28-year-old African American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is known for creating alternative R&B mixed with Neo Soul music that consists of a guitar throughout his songs. On October 28, 2022, Fish released an EP entitled, ‘Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost’. This album consists of 7 songs and has over 1.35 billion total streams on Spotify. Although I absolutely love all 7 songs, there are three songs that caught and maintained my attention which are “Hotel,” “Every Night,” and “Bathroom.”
HOTEL
The song begins with a raspy beat that consists of Fish’s low voice repeating three words. These three words are rarely clear and are very inconsistent. The volume of the words increases and then slowly decreases under the beat that soon intertwines with a short, gritty guitar rift. This successfully sets the tone of the song immediately. Afterwards, Fish’s voice begins to increase within the song, and the lyrics become clearer. He manages to keep the same volume of his voice and lowers the beat while still maintaining a ratty guitar sound that is loud within the song. The song illustrates the knowledge of a “no good” woman before fully exploring her personality. The song ends with an instrumental of Fish’s guitar. The song ran the gamut of emotions with its ability to make the listener cry, dance and feel nostalgic.
EVERY NIGHT
Compared to “Hotel”, “Every Night” is an upbeat song. It starts off with an aggressive, distorted sound for the first 15 seconds. After that, a constant electric sound goes in and out of the “unusual//unrealistic” sound layers on top of each other. Along with the repetitive beat is Fish’s smooth and haunting voice. In the song he expresses how he longs for his love’s presence 24/7, although it is ideally not healthy for him.
BATHROOM
“Bathroom” begins with a laid-back sound that synchronizes with a thunderous, punchy drum instrument. What makes the song unique is Fish’s soulful voice that is mixed with a hazy sound. This song emphasizes dancing with someone who you’ve become smitten with knowing that this person can never reciprocate that infatuation.
Although ‘Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost” is not Fish’s greatest work it will find an audience who can vibe to it and possibly become new fans of his.
