Policy Feat. Tina Shest - 'Reality

Review by Anthony Nguyen & Staff

“Reality” by Policy feat. Tina Shest is a surreal jump into a gorgeous musical landscape. Borrowing ideas from a variety of different genres ranging from R&B, EDM, and Classical just to name a few, the song takes listeners on a journey to anywhere but reality. The rhythm section does a great job complimenting the main elements of the song. The beat is infectiously uplifting, with an interesting main synth and classic disco “esque” drum beat supporting the foundation. Policy and Michael P Zaramba did a fantastic job arranging the song, and every section seems to radiate it’s own unique personality. All the tiny drum and percussion parts scattered throughout the song are a stroke of genius. Although not in the foreground they never allow the song to fall flat, again another nod to the arranging. Tina Shest is simply electric. Her violin provides a remarkable change of pace from the pop norm, and she does a fantastic job providing the emotion and musicianship needed to make it work. Her vocals are also superb. Her voice is powerful , but she also retains a sense of deep intimacy that a song like this needs.

The intro is deceiving in its simplicity, but as soon as Shest’s violin comes in the song becomes hard to turn away from. The pre chorus is extremely well done. It provides such a nice breather from the song, allowing the chorus to really explode. The breakdown section, with just the rhythm section and the violin is quite a shock to the system, and allows a moment of peace before the song comes back with all of the energy and charisma listeners have come to know and love in the last outro.

Inspiration for the song comes from the hard realization that reality, no matter how arduous it may be, must be accepted. Change and evolution is a sometimes hard, but very real part of the human experience and this song capitalizes on that theme. One lyric that illustrates this point well is “It’s the circle of life. A misconception of truth Questioning all your grounds There’s a meaning to living.” Outstanding lyric writing from Shest allows the song to fully embrace the harsh realities of the world in a palatable format. With a standout performance from Tina and thoughtful arranging from Policy and Michael Zaramba, “Reality” is a stunning achievement in songwriting.

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