WORTHLESS” by d4vd is an emotional song, an atmospheric experience of sound and lyric that evokes a sense of heartbreak and distance, with an approach of emotional numbness. Yet while the lyrics and vocals relate to the song itself, it’s the broad sound in which the song exists, the soundscape that enhances its attributes. We begin in a foggy, echoey atmosphere, less than three seconds in, where the vocalist seems to fade in and out of present emotional reality. We’re unsure if this is a moment wanted to be relived; it sounds somewhat poorly recorded in that style where the creator sat in his bedroom with one microphone and pressed record. Yet this intimate style only makes it more personal.
What I find compelling about the production is that it sounds almost purposefully incomplete. The vocal sits in the mix as opposed to it being a super crisp portrayal, it’s buried a little within the ambientness of the sound. There exists a reverb-filled guitar loop that repeats over and over again as the emotional focal point of the song. There aren’t too many instruments going on all at once—rather the opposite. A limited amount of sounds join, allowing for a theme of isolation to thrive. It’s this “bad” quality that makes it powerful the sonic elements are as much vulnerable as the lyrics, and combined create a song more honest than overproduced. It goes to show that sometimes, less is more when it comes to sound production.