Single Review: Infinity Song - Hurricane

Infinity Song are yet to release a bad song. And it’s always a bit frustrating when a group you dig is releasing good music and releasing the right singles, but they just don’t hit the way you feel that they deserve to. And I fear the same thing is going to happen with “Hurricane”. A song which is a big departure from the sound Infinity Song are known for and feels engineered to be a hit, but probably won’t be.

“Hurricane” is a big shift for Infinity Song, but it’s a shift which makes sense. It pushes the boundaries of Infinity Song’s soundscape, as opposed to feeling like this left field thing which doesn’t fit within it, and that’s what makes it cool. It’s really exciting that the group already has such a clear sense of its own sound, that it’s confident enough to play around with it. I can imagine that some Infinity Song fans may not like the direction of “Hurricane” and I get that. But I do think it would be a shame to box Infinity Song and lock them to the sound of their first album Metamorphosis, if it’s clear the group wants to broaden their sound beyond that. Not outright replace it. But just branch out here and there.

“Hurricane” is written and produced by group member Israel Boyd (the guy playing the guitar in the music video). Across each of Infinity Song’s albums there’s usually a couple of songs which feature him as a writer and producer without the other members. And whilst he’s never produced a song which sounds like “Hurricane” before, he did produce the song “Family” on Infinity Song’s Mad Love album, which had a very different sound to the other songs on the album and the sound Infinity Song were going for at that point. So he’s no stranger to trying to push Infinity Song’s sound here and there and being bold in those choices, which is cool. I think every group needs somebody who is willing to say ‘Hey, let’s try this new thing’ and members who are willing to go along with it. And whilst “Family” was a mess, at least Israel took the swing. And him taking a swing here paid off, because “Hurricane” is a really good song.

“Hurricane” has a familiarity to it which makes it stick on a first lesson. It sounds like Daft Punk’s “Around the World” if they were to re-imagine it in the style of Random Access Memories, with a smattering of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”. It’s a really cool sounding record and I can imagine it will play really well live and have the entire venue turn into a club

My only notes for the song is that I wish there was more variance and layers to the production. The guitar needed to have a catchier melody. The hook needed chords. The piano flourishes that we get after the second run of the hook? That needed to be ON the hook. The bridge needed more to really elevate it, but also feel like the song is shifting gears. “Hurricane” is still good as it is, but it could have been amazing with a few tweaks.

Infinity Song - Hurricane | Roc Nation Records

Infinity Song have released several songs where I’ve thought ‘This is gonna be the one that catches on and crosses them over’ and they never do. “One Foot In” should’ve been a Billboard Hot 100 hit, yet it wasn’t. “Sinking Boat” should’ve at least been a viral hit on TikTok, yet it wasn’t. Even Momo Boyd’s solo single “She’s a Sweetheart” had all of the makings of a number 1 hit, and yet that didn’t do anything either. But trust that if a RGB (255, 255, 255) pop girly had put that song out, it would have charted in the top 10. And it’s already looking like “Hurricane” is going to do absolutely nothing and be certified triple bottle cap. Roc Nation not promoting Infinity Song’s music is a big part of why their songs aren’t hitting. But them being Black and not fitting in the box that the music industry likes to put Black artists in is also part of it. But that’s a whole other post.

“Hurricane” is a really good song. And as I post this, Infinity Song’s fourth album is out and I’m excited to listen to it and see if they pull at the edges of their sound across any other songs. Although even if they don’t and “Hurricane” was just a cute ‘Let’s try something new this one time’ thing, that’s fine too. It made for a damn good single.