R & B is a very competitive genre. Christchurch-born, Sydney based Kiwi singer Narakel appears to be aware of this, as he has started on a journey that refuses to be pigeon-holed directly into the genre at a basic level.

New single Where Did Everybody Go? is a quality example of how this young artist is putting his desire to be unique into form. We have ourselves an orchestration blend that’s quite minimalistic, yet gives us enough of the trappings of a quality R & B number to fill any potentially dangerous sonic voids. That’s a good name for a punk band, but I digress.

The drums here are sync’d and have been nicely mixed to a fuller experience for us despite using a small set of tools to keep time and drive tempo. This is nicely done, as it needs a delicate touch and a keen ear to achieve. The percussion’s bottom end sibling, the bass, sits innocuously inside the mix, giving its anchoring and tethering the groove while not dictating any of the sub-melody. That’s good, because an R & B song such as this needs no help of such an elevated degree from the bass, and it would have been overkill. They didn’t though, so great work people!

There’s a lush and mild melody that Narakel brings in a sultry, soulful voice that I feel was being strategically held at 75% due to the nature of the beast that he is working with, i.e. a song that is, from the EPK:

… a minimal, atmospheric track exploring tension, absence, and fleeting human connections.”‘Where Did Everybody Go?’ is your first encounter with desolation the fuel of empty romances, reckless choices, and fleeting friendships. I want listeners to feel the city, the nightlife, and the intensity of human experience through my eyes,” Narakel explains.

It’s a perfect voice for soul, R & B, and any genre in the family tree of those two. My comment about the 75% is intended to suggest that he’s providing what this track needs, but the ease by which he achieves this tells me he has a whole heap of goods lined up for us. I will provide the flag that there are some naughty F bombs placed in a couple of lines. If you get offended by that, then take a deep breath and grow a pair. It’s 2026. Look out your window.

I’ve watched the promo vid too. It’s got a few novel ideas for on-set dress code, which I do find very droll indeed, and I commend the F-U attitude in doing that. I tend not to drop spoilers for vid releases, so I’ll just say it’s got a feel to it that suits the slow tempo and the somewhat bleak message, while still being a piece that provides just under three minutes of visual that you’ll definitely feel were well-spent if dark R & B is your thing.

It’s definitely going to get some airtime, although the F-bombs may present a challenge for some of the more mainstream commercial channels before any watersheds. Just add a bleeper and get it on the rota, people!

Keep an eye out for Narakel. We’ll hear a lot more from him. This sound is easily going to be popular in the urban zones in the USA, UK, and here in NZ. Where Did Everybody Go? is released on Wednesday 8th April. Diarise and go check it.