"Neither Would I" (stylized in
all lowercase
Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
) is a song by British singer-songwriter and record producer
S-X
Sam Andrew Gumbley (born 4 August 1992), known professionally as S-X, is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. As a record producer, Gumbley has worked with high-profile artists such as Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Future, ...
from his fourth mixtape, ''A Repeat Wouldn't Go a Miss'' (2021). The song was solely written and produced by S-X. It was
independently released for
digital download and
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
on 10 January 2020 as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release ...
from the mixtape. An accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
was released the day before the song's release. The song debuted at number 45 on the
UK Singles Downloads Chart
The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday.
The main chart con ...
and number 53 on the
Scottish Singles Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
.
Music and lyrics
"Neither Would I" attains a "powerful yet futuristic-sounding
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...
".
Lyrically, S-X "touches on a story between himself and one of his counterparts". The song has been described as "an anthem for those who have experienced loss".
Release and promotion
On 29 December 2019, S-X teased the upcoming release of the song by
tweeting the words, "neither would i". On 3 January 2020, S-X revealed the song's title,
cover art
Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper (tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ...
and release date and the song was made available to
pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
on
digital download services and pre-save on
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
services. On 4 January 2020, S-X performed "Neither Would I" on the
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1 ...
television show ''
Soccer AM
''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports.
First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the fo ...
'', six days prior to its release.
"Neither Would I" was
independently released for digital download and streaming on 10 January 2020.
Critical reception
Jack Lynch of
GRM Daily
GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily), formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and Bri ...
praised that "S-X layers his harmonies and melodic style well". He continued, "S-X’s vocal range is emphasised on the high-pitched hook as a flawless and flexible one, as he touches both ends of the spectrum throughout the tune."
Kaitlin Milligan of
BroadwayWorld
BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , Ne ...
wrote, "With S-X lending his soaring vocals, 'Neither Would I' is a heartfelt track that skilfully pairs electronic elements with organic instrumentation... as
-Xpours over a failed relationship."
Sam Rasmin of Creative Generation UK wrote, "The multi-talented creative continues to showcase his endless amounts of musical ability. The production stands strong and grips you from the get go, before he then laces the beat with yet another flawless vocal performance. Creating a vibe which is very much in line with his extensive back catalogue of music, it is clear to see that S-X has found a winning formula." Rasmin proclaimed that "there is no doubt that this
ongwill be doing crazy numbers".
Writing for
''Clash'', Ramy Abou-Setta praised that "the production meshed with the thumping vocal delivery build an anthem that leaves the listener in a euphoric state". She continued, "The production is stripped to the bare bones, with subtle hints of synth, a booming 808, and percussion dancing in the background of S-X’s strong vocal delivery – in fact, you could be forgiven for wondering if this was an instrumental to begin with. S-X’s vocal range and versatility in this song is the cherry on top, an exceptional song in his repertoire, and in my personal opinion one of his best."
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
for "Neither Would I" was released to S-X's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel on 9 January 2020.
The video was directed by Troy Roscoe and Danyl Goodall.
It was filmed in
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
.
Speaking about the music video, S-X explained: "I wanted to shoot the video in Morocco, Marrakech to be precise, because I feel that the city visually and energetically captures the meaning of the song perfectly. It's a place full of love and nice people, yet it has many broken and run down parts. Underneath it all, there is always a sense of unity."
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from
Tidal.
*
S-X
Sam Andrew Gumbley (born 4 August 1992), known professionally as S-X, is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. As a record producer, Gumbley has worked with high-profile artists such as Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Future, ...
production, songwriting, vocals
* Michalis Michaelmixing
* Henkka Niemistömastering
Charts
Release history
References
{{S-X
2020 songs
2020 singles
S-X songs
Songs written by S-X
Song recordings produced by S-X
RBC Records singles
BMG Rights Management singles