SONG REVIEW: alilbroken - "@ my worst" (blackbear cover)
alilbroken brings blackber’s “@ my worst” into a whole new light
Written by JD Walker
With over 25 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, blackbear has quickly taken the world by storm with his melancholy approach to R&B and hip hop. Taking a song like “@ my worst” and attempting to reimagine it in a whole new genre seems like a huge occasion to rise to, but alilbroken stepped up to the task and created an authentic yet completely different version of the hit song in his Pop Goes Punk spin on the track.
The song opens in a very similar manner to the original - from the opening piano notes to the ambient first verse driven by atmospheric synth and trap beats, alilbroken stays true to blackbear’s version until the chorus. The first chorus kicks in with a ferocious energy that has the propensity to catch the listener off guard. Featuring overdriven guitar and the vocals shifting an octave higher, the song quickly becomes a pop punk sensation. The second verse retains many of the same musical themes of the first, but with a tighter guitar-driven groove and an upbeat, Luke Holland-inspired drum groove.
After the second chorus, the song takes a drastic turn - alilbroken’s version quickly becomes a metalcore song, complete with disgusting breakdowns and some nasty layered unclean vocals. Through the third chorus, all of the new elements introduced in the song come to a coalesce as the energy built up through the track comes to a grand finale before the song abruptly ends, leaving the listener wondering “what the hell just happened?”
Genre-bending is no small feat, but alilbroken did an immaculate job of taking a massively popular song and reimagining it in a way that nobody else could have conceived. alilbroken’s take on “@ my worst” will undoubtedly be a hit to pop-punk, metalcore, and hip hop fans alike, and the eclectic combination of elements from each of these genres makes for a unique and truly captivating listening experience. Even those that normally aren’t into heavy music may find alilbroken’s version to be not only thoroughly enjoyable, but a straight up banger.
alilbroken has an insane amount of talent and musical vision, as is proven in his version of “@ my worst”. To take a song like this and completely rearrange the composition while still staying true to the original version is not easy in any sense, but alilbroken pulled it off perfectly. alilbroken bleeds creativity and passion in his version of the song and deserves every bit of the outpouring of passion that his version will undoubtedly receive from a multitude of musical communities.