If The New Citizen Kane’s previous work, Endless Summer Serenade, was a sun-drenched cocktail on a Balearic beach, his latest EP, Could Have Been, is the neon-lit afterparty where things start to get a bit introspective. This London-based artist trades in the big-room optimism of his earlier sound for something moodier, more nuanced—and unfortunately, a bit too reliant on the vocoder for its emotional heft.
The title track opens the EP, setting the tone with pulsating synths and an atmospheric build that feels cinematic but never quite peaks. It’s evocative, sure, but the layers of vocal effects dilute what could’ve been a genuinely emotive moment. You can’t help but wish for a touch more rawness in the delivery. Still, there’s something captivating about its sheer ambition; it’s the equivalent of staring out of a train window, trying to make sense of everything you’ve left behind.
Then there’s “Forget The World,” a glossy slice of synthpop that’s crying out for a big festival audience. The melody is infectious, and the production pristine, but again, it leans so heavily on its robotic vocal effects that it risks stripping away any trace of humanity. It’s a shame because, buried beneath the filters and autotune, there’s a vulnerability that could elevate the track to something far greater.
The curveball here is a euphoric, club-ready rendition of Coldplay’s “Talk.” Covers are tricky beasts, but this one manages to hold its own—just about. Stripping away the original’s anthemic guitars in favor of kaleidoscopic synth stabs and four-to-the-floor beats, it’s the kind of track that’ll light up a dancefloor at 2 a.m. Still, the vocal processing (again) feels like a barrier rather than a bridge, muting what could’ve been a deeper emotional connection to the source material. Less could have been more here.
“Maybe Tonight” slows things down, and for a moment, This is Kane at his best—when he leans into atmosphere and lets his synths do the talking.
Rounding things out is the Schizophonic Club Mix of “Forget The World.” It’s the kind of remix that feels destined for underground dancefloors rather than Spotify playlists. Darker, dirtier, and unapologetically experimental, it hints at a bolder direction that Kane might want to explore more thoroughly in the future. There’s a sense of risk here that’s absent in much of the EP, and it’s a welcome change of pace.
Overall, Could Have Been is a solid but frustrating listen. The production is undeniably slick, and Kane clearly has a knack for crafting mood-driven electronic pop, but the over-reliance on vocoder and autotune makes it hard to connect on a deeper level. It’s like watching a film through frosted glass; you can see the shape of something beautiful, but you’re kept at arm’s length.
My advice? Dial back the filters, trust the raw emotion in the voice, and lean even further into those moments of risk. There’s a brilliant artist here waiting to break free from the machinery. Could Have Been might not hit every note, but it’s an intriguing step forward for an artist who’s still finding his truest voice.
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