Cody Coyote is blazing his own trail through the modern music landscape and there’s no signs of slowing down.
His new single “There Tonight” proves that Coyote continues gaining momentum with each new release. “There Tonight” comes off as aggressive, yet controlled, intelligent and serious, yet wildly entertaining. It likewise illustrates how Coyote is likely capable of tackling any sort of material.
“There Tonight” makes his mastery of contemporary pop utterly clear. The Ottawa-based performer/songwriter’s vocals are distinctly in tune with the needs of a pop song without ever succumbing to the lowest common denominator. He’s a presence in this track from the first line. It is likewise thrilling to hear the numerous subtleties that Coyote works into his vocal phrasing, far from normal with many of his more cookie-cutter counterparts, and his attentiveness to the movement of the music.
There’s ample guitar present in this track, but it is far from guitar driven. “There Tonight” powers through fueled by a confluence of various instruments and the electronic dimensions of the arrangement is integral to the overall result. The “drum machine” percussion hits with plenty of muscle, as well, without ever sounding ham-fisted.
The running time is particularly ideal for pop fare. Less than two and a half minutes, however, doesn’t equate to a quick gloss. Instead, Coyote packs enough eventful musical shifts into this track for a song much longer without ever wearying the listener. The song’s refrain is the unarguable highlight of the track, as it should be, but the accompanying verses provide listeners with a more than acceptable set up for that payoff moment.
The lyrics take on a difficult subject that this review won’t spoil for those who haven’t heard the song yet, but it’s well worth your time to hear Coyote’s brave foray into adult subject matter. Modern pop songs are usually restrictive in terms of subject matter, but Cody Coyote never received the memo. Instead, he writes about a foreboding topic with clarity and intelligence that announces itself in virtually every line.
It’s an invigorating listening experience from beginning to end. The superb construction, smart treatment of the song’s subject, and exciting twists and turns laden throughout the performance add up to one of 2023’s best pop music experiences. Cody Coyote has a growing list of artistic accomplishments he can claim, hit songs, plum performance spots, and more, but “There Tonight” quickly establishes itself as one of his finest moments yet.
It’s an excellent harbinger for his future as well. Based on this performance, we can expect that Cody Coyote will keep building on the stellar results of this outing. “There Tonight” dialogues with listeners on both a mental and physical level, few pop songs do, and it sounds just as vibrant even after repeated spins. It is fresh and deserves consideration as one of the year’s finest tunes of its ilk.
Canada’s Cody Coyote has a potentially transformative single on his hands. Let’s hope that it gets the audience that it so richly deserves.
Kim Muncie