Manila Killa, San Holo, and Nick Lopez's "Mean It" Is an Anthem to Human Connection
Photo: @cloudyytots
Connection. It's something that seems more important than ever. When the world shut down early last year, connection became an increasingly scarce commodity, yet one we continued to search for, whether that be in digital worlds or far-flung memories. It's that sense of desire for intimacy and loss that builds the emotional crux of Manila Killa, San Holo, and Nick Lopez's "Mean It."
"Mean It" is such a special song because it represents the intertwining of several people's worlds," shares Manila Killa, "San came over to my house one day to shoot some content for our upcoming show which was supposed to happen in March of 2020, but the world shut down soon after his visit. Kwon and singer / songwriter Nick Lopez were also present in the house and we all started talking, San started playing guitar and we began messing around on Ableton. By the end of the day we all knew we had something special with this song - and it took a life of its own as we continually worked on it over the course of the next year. It's a song about coping with loss and intimacy which captures the essence of all of our songwriting styles and I feel like it's a connection that people will understand while listening to it."
Opening on a dreamlike amalgamation of San's trademark guitar playing, delicately pieced together production work, and Lopez's somber lyrics, "Mean It" is an inviting slowburn that ultimately builds to a light-as-air catharsis. "Do you mean it?," pleads a cacophony of voices that inevitably fade into the surging production, juxtaposing a festival-ready build with a poignant moment of insecurity.
"Mean It" is carried forward not just by its enthralling production or wonderful fusion of synthetic and acoustic elements, but by its bittersweet emotional undercurrent. What San Holo, Manila Killa, and Nick Lopez have created here is an electronic track bursting with all the joy and uncertainty present in life. Human connection, by its very nature, may be fleeting but its rapturous.
Listen to "Mean It" below:
