On August 7th, Q Marsden released his fourth album DO YOU SEE ME? through Columbia Records, a 15-track project that intertwines soul, jazz, funk, R&B & experimental alt-pop while exploring internal vs external realities of what’s happening inside Q’s head vs. what’s actually happening around him.
Q was diagnosed with schizophrenia during the process of making this project, and instead of continuing to suppress or rationalize thoughts that had shaped his perspective for years, he let them pour into the music. In his “READ BEFORE LISTENING” statement, he talks about people constantly trying to explain what was happening inside his head without ever really asking him how he felt and just offering support even if they don’t understand it themselves.
Hence the question:
DO YOU SEE ME?
Funny enough, I had technically already listened to Q before this project because I love “Summer Girl,” which I originally found on the TV show Insecure. I just didn’t know it was him, so this was really my first time sitting down with a full project of his & after 15 tracks, I think there’s a lot to like here, but also a lot to consider. There’s so much personality in the lyrics, and Q jumps between a variety of different sounds without the album ever feeling like it’s not a consistent story, if that makes sense.
But, I also finished DO YOU SEE ME? with one pretty big gripe:
Throughout its entirety, I kept hearing Dominic Fike & Frank Ocean in Q’s vocals. For an album so focused on seeing & hearing Q for who he is, there are still many moments where I hear someone else. I don’t mean that as a completely negative thing because Q does sound good - my issue is more that I can hear better, more stylized & more distinct versions of this vocal style elsewhere.
“I Wish You Were Here” is probably the biggest example of this. The harmonies immediately remind me of Frank, but lyrically, this is also one of the more interesting songs to me because I feel it really gives us a glimpse into his mind. Q’s literally saying “I wish you were here” when the person is right there, but also not (or is) we really don’t know, and neither does he, unfortunately, which adds so much concern when you really think about it.
Knowing the context of Q’s schizophrenia diagnosis, I immediately thought about that space between what’s physically happening around him vs. what’s happening inside his own head. Someone can literally be there, but his experience of that reality can still feel completely different from reality. The whole concept isn’t just him telling us that his brain works differently. The song is the most literal and puts us closest to that disconnect alongside him. There’s depth to this project, but Q is also really playful and doesn’t make every song feel super serious just because the context contains serious subject matter.
Where I think DO YOU SEE ME? really shines is the production. Q wrote and produced the album alongside collaborators, including Jacob Olofsson & Romil Hemnani from Brockhampton, and I think that production is what moves so many moments on this album forward. “My Favorite Lovr Girl” is one of my favorites for this reason. The beat is sooo good, but the vocal chops & lower high-pitched voice harmonies are what really add to the song. Then there’s “hey there [i have a compulsive complex],” which might be one of the songs where Q feels the most like Q to me. The only way I know how to describe this song is that it feels like something that would play in a coming-of-age movie as we slowly dolly in on the main character, staring at their love interest at some county fair.
And then we have “STOP GOONING!!” which is unironically incredible and probably one of my favorite songs on this entire project (purely based on the instrumental alone). The production on this album makes even the moments where I’m not completely sold on feel fresh.
“Déjà Vu, Darling” was probably my least favorite song on the album. The dolphin sounds are neat, but the entire track feels more like a joke/meme to me than an actual, fully thought-out song, which is ironic because I also think Q’s vocals sound more like his own here. Sometimes, the moments where Q gets a little weirder are the moments where I actually hear more personality from him, even if I don’t necessarily like the song itself.
“Drive Me Off the Wall,” on the other hand, gives me more of that usual R&B feel, especially in the beat. It sounds good, but there are a few moments like this throughout the project where I started wondering if some of the choices were more trend-oriented than an actual artistic approach, and I think that’s ultimately where my issue with Q’s vocals comes from too. Frank Ocean & Dominic Fike are obviously working within genres and sounds that existed before them, but they’ve both created their own voices within those spaces. You can tell when you’re listening to Frank Ocean. With Q, I’m not completely there yet but alas, this is only his fourth album, so there is undoubtedly more to come.
When I go back to some of his older stuff, it almost feels like I’m hearing somebody discovering their own sound. With some of the newer music, it just feels like he’s learned what sells. (Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!!!) I just think there’s a difference between figuring out what works & figuring out what is specifically yours.
Yet, there are gospel elements, jazz, funk, R&B, reggae, weird vocal layers, screams, slap bass, and yes, dolphins with features from UMI, Deb Never & Marco McKinnis, so I definitely don’t walk away from this thinking Q is boring or doesn’t have anything to say. I also think it’s important not to take every weird thing Q does on this album and immediately connect it to schizophrenia because that feels like it misses what he’s saying in the first place, which I believe is that he is more than a diagnosis. When Q gets personal and weird, that's when I think DO YOU SEE ME? is at its best, but I want more of that.
Overall, I think DO YOU SEE ME? is a really solid - I just wanna see where he goes when that same individuality starts coming through in his vocals too.
Favs: “Stop Goon,” “My Favorite Lover Girl,” “hey there [i have a compulsive complex]”
Least Fav: “Déjà Vu, Darling”, keep our clothes on
What do you think?
His Socials:
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/qmarsden/
https://www.instagram.com/doyousee.mee/
Listen to it here: https://q.lnk.to/doyouseeme?
Alsoooo if you want to hear what I’ve been listening to lately, I make a new playlist every month with songs I’ve been finding & enjoying
Listen to this month’s playlist: https://tristonscales.co/playlists
If you’re an artist & want me to possibly yap about your music next, you can submit your music this site!! I’m always looking for new stuff to listen to :D
Submit your music: https://tristonscales.co/submit-music
3 Song Recs
Pink Lightening by Sidibe
Melatonin by Tinashe
I’m Aquarius by Metronomy
What I listened to as I wrote this:
drive me off the wall by Q Marsden (ft. Deb Never)
Run Run Run by Phoenix
Butterflies by Mac Miller
Follow Me by Rochelle Jordan
Sisyphus by Quadeca
Pulp Jam (ft. Mamii) by Cruza
Cherry Coffee by Kelela
Lost but Here pt II by Y.O.P.E & Sam Nera
Harmonicas Are Shite by Fila Brazillia
El Toro by Bonobo
