With light innocent touches to indie-pop formulas, RENE has slowly established herself with an energetic, guitar-friendly persona over the past couple of years, emerging in events like The Great Singapore Replay and SCAPE's Music Day Out. “RENE is a pop-rock musician. Pop Punk? Punk rock? Alternative…?” her Spotify bio tells us. To “rock” kids on the block, her singles present an undoubtedly appealing sound perfectly on trend – with her pleasant melodies and upbeat vocal deliveries allowing a buoyancy that finds kinship with other teen-friendly pop attempts on the island (see tragically: Royal Estate). Unfortunately, with her first single, she finds herself with a case of mistaken identity. The answer definitely lies within these realms – sadly, her answer is most definitely not punk.

It’s marketable! But as the video finds RENE fronting the guerilla stage of DIY bastion Lithe House, there’s a misplaced energy that’s hard to ignore. With production so polished and neutered, the song is scrubbed devoid of any sense of rock-star energy sonically or attitude, and certainly nothing close to the indie rock guise she's trying to put on.

It’s an absolute shame, especially when considering the potential song that it's burying. Here, RENE’s vocals are more than competent, and she shows glimpses of strength in moments like its delightful chorus. Yet completely unlike the pomp of her heroes or what she could very well try to be (Hayley Williams, beabadoobee for a modern equivalent) the track’s lifelessly clean production almost completely obstructs her – in what can only be described as neutered attempts at new 1975-esque jangle.

Rather than allowing her voice to shine through playful abrasion, the mix plays things safe, with drums lacking any sort of distinctive dynamics, and glass-like guitars simply gliding along without character. Her voice almost mirrors these choices, all too often too restrained for its own good – and it drains the spotlight away from what's meant to be a powerful refrain. The supposed youthful energy is thus completely missing, leading to a result that absolutely betrays the genre pools she aspires to be. “Punk rock” and “Alternative” leaning this is not – unless alternative means a Boyce Avenue-like pop takeover for the next National Day Parade theme song. Singapore would probably like that – but even so, Electrico has already done it better.

Make no mistake – there is a great song hidden within Off My Mind, itself dripping with nice melodies and bright guitar licks. “I can’t get seem to get you off my mind,” she yearns with classic pop harmonies, and with her pleasantly sweet delivery, the song does its earnest best to be a breezy, feel-good pop song dedicated to die-hard past loves – unfortunately, its sonic attitude is utterly unconvincing.

With the song finishing with a mild aftertaste, RENE’s still many doses of grit away from touching punk labels. By doubling down on production choices that complement her stylistic preferences, her vocal presence will have more room to shine – and after all, embracing pop wholesale is not a bad thing.

For now, it’s an ambiguity that struggles to linger the right way. Pop Punk? Punk rock? Alternative…? Toned down NDP.

Watch the music video to Off My Mind here:

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