I have finally reached the level in my music writing career where promoters, managers, and marketing teams follow directions, sending electronic press kits via email without asking me in other places. Directly emailing me saves so much time by not having to duplicate efforts and streamlining my creative process. Streamlining my process seems like a small thing, but it has taken years to build my name to this point, and it is AWESOME. The downside to being well-loved by labels and other marketers is that I receive tons of off-genre or underdeveloped artists who immediately end up in my trash folder. One of the best things about this has been the constant workflow of talented artists with great sound and well-produced projects. Today, my song review is from that latter group! Below, I take an in-depth listen and look at ‘Instagram is a Liar,‘ new music from Beniton, which came to me through Riddimstream.
Who is Beniton?
A glance at his biography will tell you that Beniton is an international Reggae, Dancehall, Hip Hop, and R&B artist and performer who has worked with many of the greats from those genres, including but not limited to UB40, Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Jason Derulo, and Shaggy. With a stack of accolades on his resume, I was expecting great things when I finally got time to tap into his latest single, ‘Instagram is a Liar.’ I was NOT disappointed.
Instagram is a Liar
“How many girls in here are more famous than they are on Instagram?” The lyrics hit from the jump, making a statement about appearances on social media being nothing compared to how things appear in real life. Beniton goes in on the fakeness of Instagram, praising natural beauty, mixing in blatant sexual references with flirty lines. The lyrics are direct, ranging from subtle to raunchy, which is a win (to an extent) in my opinion. As one of the girls who look good without makeup, I laughed at some references to heavily painted faces. I don’t take myself too seriously and found this song to be clever, funny, and a fast favorite for summertime vibes. I also think that the beat and fast tempo are dope. ‘Instagram is a Liar’ brings dancehall and pop vibes, making it easy to dance to in any setting.
Aside from falling in love with the song at first listen, I think some areas came up a little short, in my opinion. There are moments when the lyrics go wildly off track, just talking about sex and hooking up, aside from the song topic – perhaps intentionally to bring the heterosexual male ears back into the song. I did not like the bridge because many of the sounds dropped abruptly. The loss of momentum at the bridge is a consistent issue for me as a listener, so maybe it’s just me. When too many elements drop at the bridge, and the song doesn’t continue to build tension, you lose a lot of energy, which happens in this song. There is an air of chauvinism at times, and I wonder if there is a song out there airing out men’s catfishing and height deception on the ‘Gram as well, out of fairness. Lastly, at just over 3 minutes, I wish the track was longer, a compliment to the catchiness of this piece.
In Conclusion
As a project, I am a huge fan of ‘Instagram is a Liar.’ The song is fun, light, playful, and will get you dancing. It is a perfect summer tune to move your body and forget about the seriousness of life, even poking a little fun at yourself in the process. It celebrates the sexiness of authenticity and natural beauty while reminding you that dudes are always going to find a way to sing about fucking. If I made you laugh, leave me some love in the comments and go stream ‘Instagram is a Liar,’ available now on all digital streaming platforms. 💋
