Music Review // Otto Reitano "On My Mind"

 

Throughout the years there have been songs that have spread the message of someone being "On My Mind", but none of them have done it through a space rock pop odyssey the way that Otto Reitano has.   Starting off with big pianos and a lot of soul, this song can make it feel like you're just floating through space aimlessly.  The beats eventually kick in and this comes out somewhere between pop and chillwave.   But yet. there is still this unexplained sci-fi element to the sound I just can't quite put my finger on.

Otto Reitano sings and has this flow which can be compared with artists from The Weeknd to Tony Njoku.   If nothing else, this song will stick with you, as you'll find moments where the hook "She's always on my mind" just shows up in your head.  Maybe it's how there are these brief moments where you hear sounds that make me think space is just sizzling out, but there is something in here like what David Bowie would have done in his grand exploration of space through music.   It's just that added layer which I find myself easily lost in.

At its heart, "On My Mind" is all heart.  The truest form of a love song, you'll hear lyrics right away that go along with the title such as: "She's all I think about".   This is that deep dive into not only revealing that she is always on my mind, but it opens up as to why that is.  Some examples in the lyrics include: "She's so damn fine / As she looks into my eyes".   There is such a subtle way that this song might make you fall in love while the music feels like it's much more low key-- it will catch you off guard.

"On My Mind" shines because it is so unassuming.  There is never a moment where this song feels like the vibe is being forced, and yet the vibe is there even without the lyrics.  It's this tricky way in which the song can sort of hypnotize you without you even knowing it.  The song can get stuck in your head even though it doesn't have those pop qualities where you feel like it might while you're listening.  Otto Reitano has just blessed us with such a slow, well thought out sound that by the end of the song you'll just want to listen to it again and again.