kotoji : Please Don’t Do It
The first taste of kotoji’s upcoming debut album, Please Don’t Do It, is an emotional ode to vulnerability. Very much in line with the Mitski-influenced colour of her previous singles, the single builds upon the artistic narrative established in her “Prequel Era” –detailing heartbreak, doubt, and self-destruction. Clocking in at slightly over 2 minutes, the track’s strength lies in its earnest simplicity and concise nature. It leads to a significantly breezier affair than its more indulgent predecessors – here, every melancholic chord, bass lick, or synth line lingers just long enough to convey the emotions it has to. Before you know it, the track is finished, but what remains is its residual impact. As she builds on the song’s refrain (“I’m not ready”) into a soaring crescendo to close out the track, kotoji artfully drives home the song’s intent - an admission and exploration of her own human vulnerabilities.