Kaskeset released two singles simultaneously: Od Yishama (previously reviewed by RARB), and Lovely. No doubt about it, Lovely is the stronger of the two, with an enchanting, silky vibe you can really sink into.

There’s a lot of Lovelys out there; this is the intensely sad Billie Eilish duet with Khalid. Both the original and Kaskeset's cover are extremely atmospheric, mood-centric creations; less of a traditionally structured pop song, and more of a long vocal sigh with pushes and pulls over heightened emotions. The song's form perhaps makes it a non-traditional choice for a single from Kaskeset (no clear-cut genre box to check), but the mesmerizing beauty, and almost palpable pain, certainly increases the memorability factor for them by leaving a strong impression on the listener. Duet partners Grace Crowe and Sayem Hossain have an undeniable chemistry and connection on the lead microphones; their voices were the right two for this work. 

Regarding the arrangement, I don’t miss the piano. I don’t miss the orchestral score of the original per se, but I do miss the eerie, pining quality of the strings themselves, which the background voices can’t quite capture here. We don’t want to imitate, but we do want to captivate with something just as cool. 

Still, a strong turn on the recording front all around. Lovely works quite well for these Binghamton University musicians.