Have you ever had a really great conversation with someone that went on just a little too long?  You’re really engaged — hanging on your cohort’s every word — but then you just sort of run out of things to talk about. Game Over is that conversation. It’s a four minute song with three minutes worth of great material.  

All the basics for success are evident. The blend is great, and the main “la la” hook in particular is full, soulful, and energetic. Every now and again an individual voice sticks out and sounds a bit too classically trained for the style, but those moments are the exception. The solo is great. The percussion is forceful; 80% of the time I’m on board with the snare, though there are times that I wish it would dial back to something shorter and sharper to groove with the vocals rather than over them. And I love the whistle tones in the second verse. 

All good things. The whole track just goes on about 45 seconds too long. I get lost in the breakdown and bridge, especially when the lead vocal disappears for a while and is replaced by a chord vamp. It might have been worth sticking out if the last chorus really switched things up, but sadly it’s pretty much just a copy/paste of what has come before.

Game Over is a very solid effort that could have been even more engaging with a bit of form editing.