By Conner Tighe
AJ Mitchell released his best collaboration to date over the weekend with Cheat Codes’ “Hate you + Love you.” Once again, listeners get an amazing sample of the artist and vocals, which he's demonstrated his entire career so far. Still, this time, listeners get a taste of something bittersweet, relatable, and honest from the singer. It's no secret that Mitchell is not afraid to express his feelings, both good and bad, through his music, ultimately to his benefit. Fans have been long awaiting his anticipated album Skyview, but with the recent release of “Hate You + Love You,” fans will just have to wait and see what he has in store. For now, the surprise release will suffice. The outline and overall format of “Hate You + Love You” is simple, easy, and honest.
Lacking originality but stirring with fun
The pop genre blends in with the background today. With that being said, “Hate You + Love You” is still an excellent single and the singer’s best collaboration. Mitchell plays off this relatable issue of going back and forth with someone he has feelings for, a weakness with pop music today. The first impression was mediocre, average, and overall background noise. However, after two or three listen-throughs, it's safe to say the single is not only catchy in its sound and lyrics but relatable in its love confused melodramatic themes, fun, and overall talented. Although the single is superb, I can't help but feel the artist is stalling while producing his soon-to-come album
Skyview
. However, if his other plans of stalling are similar to “Hate You + Love You,” honestly that's fine. In terms of originality, the single is knocked down a couple of pegs. Fans of Mitchell have heard tracks like this before, such as his “My Lover, My Friend” and “Hate That I Love You,” and even those who are not fans of Mitchell or those who don't listen to pop often have listened to similar-sounding songs, or at least with similar undertones and meanings.
“This is what you do to me/Pull you off, put you back, glued to me, yeah”
Production as a supporting leg
On the other hand, the production is impressive. This is not Mitchell's first collaboration. He has collaborated with Steve Aoki, Rich the Kid, and more. This is also not Cheat Codes’ first collaboration who has collaborated with Demi Lovato and Wiz Khalifa, amongst others. However, this collaboration stands out, and it's a sign off of the ensemble toward youth and what it means to maneuver love, sadness, and the craziness of it all.
Some may say Mitchell's songs sound similar, and it's hard to argue with that because honestly, it's true, but not always necessarily a bad thing. The artist’s lyrics are always sweet, bitter, and come from raw emotion that Mitchell is skilled with tapping into, much like other artists today like Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Taylor Swift, and Wallows. It's difficult to release and produce pop music today that's skilled and displays individuality. It's hard to stand out because there's so much competition to not blend in the background with other pop music, but I must admit Mitchell tries very hard to stand out from the rest, and “Hate You + Love You” definitely accomplishes this.
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Featured Image:
Genius
