Taydem Shoesmith’s “Are You Clapping?”

A subtle melody tucked inside a synthetic blanket. A mean beat determined to captivate us amidst the growing haze in the background.

The singer who would command all of these elements emerges from the darkness, and once she begins to serenade us with the lyrics of her new song, it becomes clear that we aren’t about to hear just any old pop single. In Taydem Shoesmith’s “Are You Clapping?,” simple instrumentation accompanies a mildly exotic vocal situated between some of the more elegant harmonies you’re going to find left of the dial this season, and though she isn’t necessarily reinventing the pop music model here, this is one artist that is certainly making the genre just a bit more interesting than it was through the release of this stunning track.

In the wake of the success singer/songwriters everywhere have been experiencing, it isn’t surprising that Shoesmith has decided to go as big and bold as possible in her recording sessions, and while “Are You Clapping?” isn’t the only intriguing indie single making big waves in 2022, it’s quite foretelling about who one of the season’s most important artists to watch might be. 

The production quality in this song is super tight from one end to the other, but there’s still plenty of room for the different instrumental components to breathe, and more importantly, harmonize with one another. There’s a lot of interplay between the lone string part and the muted percussive swing in the middle of the mix, but even when the tension between the two becomes almost impossible for the bassline to contain, it’s Shoesmith’s verse that has us on the edge of our seats more than anything else does.

The detail in this track is something worth applauding, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this is any more elaborate in structure than what we heard in her first release. Taydem Shoesmith is consistently a powerful force to be reckoned with in “Are You Clapping?,” and though you could make a case for her vocal being a little overstated in the chorus, I think her controlled style throughout the track more than balances out any excesses in the fever pitch. 

If this single from Taydem Shoesmith is on par with what we can expect to hear from her in the future – hopefully sooner rather than later – then there should be no questioning whether or not she deserves the love she’s getting from critics this December. While “Are You Clapping?” isn’t a watershed moment for the long and fabled story of pop music, it’s an incredibly addictive song that isn’t easy to put down once you’ve picked it up for the first time, and that just isn’t the case for a lot of the more robotic rhythms major label artists have been debuting in the last few years.

Shoesmith isn’t there quite yet, but with more time and discipline, I don’t doubt that she’ll become one of the most formidable acts to come out of her scene in this new decade. I’ll be looking forward to more from her, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. 

Trace Whittaker