About a year ago, on 3rd September 2021, Katharina Weiß announced that she will leave the band Die Draufgänger. The brass-folk-pop combo, which has become popular far beyond their home country Austria, had to replace the very strong and popular lead vocalist thereafter. Weiß changed the genre and her style and is now releasing pop music with a strong R&B touch under the artist name Arina. I was really curious to listen to her solo debut EP A+, released on 30th September 2022. Here is my review.
Arina – About The Artist
Katharina Weiß was born on 18th February 1993 in Feldbach in Austria. She joined Die Draufgänger in 2016. At this point, the band was already active since 15 years, they started as a youth band with covers and parodies. One rationale Weiß gave for the split with the band was that she wanted to go back to her old job in child care. She had two singles in 2021, Stupid Boy and Treat You Right. Her solo breakthrough, however, was likely Better Now. The song which has been released on her 29th birthday has 270k streams on Spotify only.
Arina – A+ – Track by Track
The six song EP lasts 15 minutes.
1. Better Now
With the release of the feature single 99% one week before the EP, the set of six tracks starts with four songs, which are already known to Arina fans. The first 2:17 minute track, Better Now, opens with nice pop and R&B vibes. In general, I feel that the tracks are rather short, but this also leads to a rather dynamic.
2. Come Over
The 2:45 minute song Come Over is the longest song on the EP. The song is a bit slower than the opener, but overall, a really nice listen. Arina is doing great on the vocal side.
3. Queen
Queen is one of the best songs of the EP to me. A nice view on fame as an artist. The song comes with a catching rhythm and good vibes. Might need some more time until Arina is able to sing these words about her own career as well – but there is a majestic touch in this song.
I’m running for the crown
I’m the queen
Get on your knees for me
I’m running for the crown
I’m the queen
Stunning, all eyes on me
4. 99%
The fourth song on the EP is not only the latest release, but also the most pop-ish song on A+. Cool song finally stating that I 100 per second need you – love pop made in Austria at a very fine level.
5. Break Loose
You had to wait some ten minutes until you finally listen to this first really new song. A rather slow song, which is nicely going for the R&B touch. I feel that Break Loose thus has a really nice presence and stays in your mind.
6. Riptide
Riptide is a rather slow track working a lot with electronic melody lines and modern rhythm. The song offers some nice parts, which are strongly focusing the artist’s voice. Overall, the song does not spread as much magic as other songs on the album to me.
Arina – A+ – Spotify
Here is the EP on Spotify:
Arina – A+ – My View
The first EP of Arina’s new career sound promising. The Austrian creates a fresh, modern sound with a nice vibe. I would love the EP to have some more variety, maybe a ballad-alike track and more powerful track. Nonetheless, I will definitely be curious following her new career. The first extended play step leaves me smiling.
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