Any fan of music, and EDM in particular, will tell you that one of the most agonizing situations that they have faced is waiting for a long-unreleased tune to officially drop in HQ. Such was the torment suffered by “sad bois” all across the world as they waited for Slander and Said The Sky to release a song that could just be the hit of 2019. Titled Potions, this nostalgic hit was premiered a few months ago when Slander invited Trevor (Said The Sky) on stage for the debut public play. Eventually, it transformed into a meme as ‘dRoP poTiOnS’ littered the comments section of every one of their posts. Finally, after an extra long wait (as the release of this one had to be placed after that of Slander’s Love Is Gone – presumably for marketing purposes), it was announced that Potions’ release was imminent, and that it was to be released on Monstercat alongside the vocalist, revealed to be JT Roach.

Sticking to Slander’s minimalistic production style when vocals are on show, the first minute features just the vocals over a light guitar and touching piano, as a warm subbass is later introduced. A light buildup leads to one of the hardest yet most beautiful drops in future bass you’ll hear. The percussion hits unusually heavily for a sentimental future bass tune (compare this to STS’s Affection), which is likely Slander’s influence, and it makes this suited for both radio and festival play. A lot of the appeal of this song comes from its semblance to pop music, as it features a notable chorus and verses. The drop itself relies heavily on vocal chops, borrowing its entire melody and rhythm from them. My favorite part about the drop is quite interestingly not the beautiful vocal-chop based melody, but the fluttering hi-hat and lighthearted crashes that add some sparkle to the drop. Listen closely, and you’ll hear some quite peculiar sound design too. In the drop, you might just catch the slightest hint of a sound that sounds like a notification beep. Moving on, it’s the intro and outro which are a testament to Said The Sky’s artistic talent, blending the guitar and the piano in soothing harmony, as the song closes into oblivion. Major props to JT Roach for killing the vocals on this one, as he moves into EDM territory following previous forays into indie tunes with names like Emily Warren.

Interestingly, this tune was released on Monstercat, rather than Slander’s own Gud Vibrations or Said The Sky’s home, Seeking Blue. Marking the first STS release on Monstercat, it’s sure to be a hit given initial response from road testing at festivals. The mutual, synergistic benefits from this label artist collaboration is sure to elevate both STS and the Monstercat label in the months to come, allowing them both to reap benefits. Similar to Slander’s delayed release of Love Is Gone, the official audio release was preceded by the official video the day before. Make sure to check it out below.