‘Smithereens’, the new coming of age track from Alternative R&B artist Rasharn Powell, is an idyllic, sun-kissed and personal journey into the writer’s feelings and experiences. Rasharn’s musical exploration began at a young age when his grandfather introduced him to dancehall and dubplates. Now, taking influence from artists such as Andre 3000 and Frank Ocean, as well as the poetry of James Baldwin and Marlo Morgan, Rasharn uses his unique tone and impressive songwriting to reach for new heights with his latest track. 

On ’Smithereens’, Rasharn uses sprawling synths, distorted tones and a strong boom-bap beat as an accompaniment as he weaves a story of his trials and tribulations. The mood is set from the very first lyric; “I wanna either hold you or forget you”, and Rasharn continues to express himself in an emotive way, using the uniqueness of his voice to catch the listeners attention from the very start. The effortless and provoking flow works well on the instrumental and the hook is both memorable and heartfelt. The echo tinged piano counter melodies that develop throughout give some musical depth to the well-produced beat.

The track is an impressive feat for an artist who has already received support from COLORS, The Fader and SBTV. To me, this song is a cloudy sky with the sun peeking out from behind, ready to shine. For Rasharn Powell, things are looking up.