Palestinian artist Saint Levant has become somewhat of an internet sensation as of late, with his hit track ‘Very Few Friends’ finding viral success through TikTok and Instagram ‘Reels’. The artist’s exploration of explicit themes through his lyrics has captured the imagination of listeners across the region and beyond, and his latest track ‘I Guess’, released in collaboration with Los Angeles-based act Playyard, suggests that Levant is not quite through exploring these themes in his new artistic direction.
The track, produced by Henry Morris and Levant himself (under his given name Marwan Abdelhamid) makes use of live instrumentation, as a lead guitar riff gently draws us into the stripped-down instrumental. The track uses tried-and-true R&B aesthetics such as a sturdy bass-guitar line, sparkling piano flourishes, and a memorable percussive snap, which is one of the most stand-out elements of the instrumental.
In the first section of the track, LA-Based singer Playyard takes the lead with a heartfelt vocal delivery and catchy melody. This comes together to give us a memorable hook, as Levant arrives with his trademark delivery, making use of his deep vocal register and multilingual fluency. The track also deploys an electrifying drum beat in the second leg of the song, which contrasts with the mellow instrumental.
‘I Guess’ also features background vocal contributions by Bayou, Zeina, and Lana Lubany, whose dynamic performances add variety to the vocal aesthetics of this release.
The music video, directed by Zaid Wazzan, takes us through multiple urban landscapes filmed in a variety of locations that let us get a feel for his daily setting. Playyard and Saint Levant are seen wandering around in record stores, metro cars, and performing live on stage in a sequence of shots portraying the kinship that the two artists have developed for one-another. Saint Levant also delivers a performance in his signature intimate delivery style in black and white close ups shots of the artist nonchalantly performing to camera, doubling down on his heart-throb persona.
Watch the full video for Saint Levant and Playyard’s ‘I Guess’ here:
