EVAN only just made his solo debut with Ride or Die in June this year. But he returned quickly, two and a half months later, releasing his first solo mini-album and title track, both titled Death of Me. This review focuses only on the title track.

Death of Me‘s production is one of the song’s real strengths. The groovy, crunchy synth work that dominates the chorus background was so driven and sharp. It had so much vigour and energy that it really stood out. EVAN translated this so well into his delivery and execution of the chorus. It was a promising start and a strong centrepiece. However, beyond the choruses, Death of Me falters. The verses were a snooze, largely forgettable, and just didn’t resonate as much as the choruses did. Some of his vocals were decent, but it sounded like he was held back from reaching his full potential. A prime example is how his singing in the second verse felt overly processed. Similarly, Death of Me also felt held back. Some ad-libs during the final chorus to build Death of Me toward a peak would have been appreciated, but instead we got a repeat of the same chorus, which ultimately flattened the song toward the end. The instrumental break outro was a nice touch and tried to add some oomph in the last seconds, but it was too late and not enough to get us to that peak.

This music video would have worked really well in the lead-up to Halloween, as it shows EVAN being haunted by a mysterious figure throughout. My theory is that the mysterious figure represents his past self, as he sings about starting afresh and his unwillingness to let his past limitations or fears control him. Out of EVAN’s looks throughout the video, I really like when he was in a suit on stage. It would have been nice for his other looks to be more on that side of the spectrum, and not super casual, loose, crop-top T-shirts. While he looked cool, I couldn’t help feeling like the video felt refined, but it ended up cheapening itself by the end.

You can tell EVAN put a lot of energy into the choreography, and it paid off. There is a strong MJ influence throughout the routine, and the dance break at the end was my favourite bit of the entire routine. The extra push he gives in the final moments just makes that part so much more impactful. His facial expressions and charisma were also executed perfectly, adding so much more to the performance.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10