I’ll admit, I was a little shocked to see that Vineet had decided to take on country music as his next single with “City Roads.” Before listening to it, there was more than a little hesitation to be had, as Vineet’s general artistic portfolio wasn’t something I would assume to be primed for country rock — thankfully, all worries were immediately put to rest by the opening verse, as the song began with a bittersweet acoustic twang before taking off at a brilliant speed, with a hip-hop beat began to take over the production. There was still plenty of the “old” Vineet within the DNA of “City Roads,” and this bold new step forward for him declared that there was still plenty more of Vineet’s repertoire to be discovered and revealed.
Of “City Roads,” Vineet says that it is a “new-age country song – a tale of love and distance. A tale of conflict between small town and large city expectations. The style/genre is a hybrid between modern Country Music & New-Age Country ‘Hick’ – Hop.” This unique blend of sounds and techniques gives “City Roads” impressive legs to stand on, as it ultimately transcends any possible restraints that country music and hip-hop would have put on it, respectively. Through the merging of both genres, Vineet can bring a new level of expertise and perspective to his music and the overall independent country music scene. In a similar fashion to Lil Nas X’s crossover, record-breaking hit “Old Town Road,” there’s a massive amount of potential for “City Roads” to tap into, a fact of which Vineet seems well aware.
The narrative of the song’s lyrics feels more in tune with what seasoned fans of Vineet may have come to expect. “It is a melancholic tale of love, divided by distance and realization of the same that only dawns when it’s too late,” he says. Using cinematic language to paint a picture of immense heartbreak and misfortune, Vineet continues. “It is written in the form of a large screen type narrative of many years that pass between a couple, separated by ambition and how they crave to be with each other again.” There’s an ingenious tapping-in to the world of old Western films at play, as Vineet evokes emotions that the audience will have experienced hundreds of times across a slew of iconic films and culturally significant landmark releases. In classic Vineet fashion, there’s more than meets the eye, and his debut country single is nothing but layers upon layers of clever, minor details.
Overall, Vineet manages to enter the country music industry with little pushback, in my opinion. “City Roads” brings together two of the world’s largest genres through the use of hip-hop production on top of country rock inhibitions, and together a landmark indie country hit has been made. A thing most seem to agree upon is that Vineet’s best move as a musician is his unpredictability, and a country music hit wasn’t far from the least expected move for his career… that being said, “City Roads” will almost certainly see itself among the upper tier of singles from Vineet’s catalog, as it feels like a testament not only to two crucial genres but a testament to Vineet’s talent as a lyrical songwriter. The songs you never expect will often surprise you!
Troy Johnstone