Childhood Tramua Charged the Debut Single, ‘I won’t talk back’ by the Alt-Pop Icon in the Making, riyuli –

Riyuli lit a fire under art pop with her debut single, I won’t talk back. The piano-led prelude teases a classical piano pop ballad, but riyuli uses her chameleonic talents to shift pace seamlessly, bringing crunched guitar chords into the haunting candour of the release.

On the surface, it may register as heartbroken scorn in the wake of a breakup, but I won’t talk back tears into a far more visceral wound, the attempt to find your feet independently after growing up under the tyranny of controlling parents, following the degradation of relentless character assassinations that cut so close to the bone they become part of us. Musing on how it may have been better if she had never been born is a brutal lyrical line, and one that will hit hard for anyone who has ever felt like a burden inside the familial bond. The synthesis of classical pop, electronica, rock, and the vulnerability on show makes I won’t talk back a release that will either break or heal your heart.

Toronto-based riyuli, a self-taught singer with a background in classical piano and performance, already has early radio support behind her, but this track speaks loudest on its own terms, raw, bruised, and dead certain of what it needs to say.

I won’t talk back is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast