Vaporwave has a hazy feeling that's prime for exploring, try Saint Pepsi

My middle school experience was ruled by vaporwave music. Vaporwave is a music genre that started completely online in the early 2010s and as online communities tend to do, the genre has widely different subgenres and styles. I love a lot of different subgenres of vaporwave and future funk happens to be one of them. 

“Hit Vibes” by Saint Pepsi was pretty much THE example of what future funk was when it started to get popular in the mid 2010s. The album is chock full of 80s nostalgia and funky rhythms. Saint Pepsi is a master of making nostalgic-sounding songs that feel like the 80s without being carbon copies of the songs they were inspired by.  

The album starts with the duology “Hit Vibes” and “Have Faith.” “Hit Vibes” acts as an intro to the album, introducing us to the album’s funk-inspired and heavily sampled sound. The song leads the listener into “Have Faith,” which uses elements from the song “A Chance For Hope” by The Live Band. Saint Pepsi uses these elements tastefully in the song, which creates a hazy feeling that’s prime for exploring. 

One of the early highlights in the album for me is the song “Better.” “Better” uses samples from multiple sources but most notably uses parts of the song “I Can Make It Better” by The Whispers. “Better” uses elements of that song almost aggressively, coming off as a flip of that song more than anything.  

The main difference is “Better” makes the already catchy sample exceedingly catchy, bringing in a bouncier beat and groove and repeating the hook heavily throughout the track. Employing these tactics helps “Better” hook the listener viscerally and make it an amazing track to dance to. 

The next song, which is also a highlight of the album, is “Cherry Pepsi.” “Cherry Pepsi” was probably the first Saint Pepsi song I heard, and it remains to be one of his top songs. The song uses elements of “B.Y.O.B.” by Sister Sledge heavily and like “Better,” “Cherry Pepsi” makes the song catchier and more danceable.  

“Cherry Pepsi” repeats the hook of the song and slows down the sample just slightly enough to where it’s familiar but not outwardly nostalgic. Saint Pepsi plays around with numerous elements of the song (like the main melody) to reconstruct the song in a way that makes it more of an earworm. 

“Together” and “Around” slow the album down to a more contemplative pace. “Together” is a more classic vaporwave song in the sense that it’s reminiscent of early tropes in the genre, yet it feels like it has about as much thought put into it as the other songs on the album.  

The song uses slowed-down samples of Rockie Robinson’s song “We Belong Together,” and it has a very prevalent romantic feel to it. “Around” brings us back onto the dance floor with a slower beat than the songs before it but feels like you’re getting out of the pool on a relaxing summer day. “Around” is very refreshing in its tone and rhythm. 

The next song, “Skylar Spence,” uses a sample of “Love Talkin’” by Tatsuro Yamashita to its full potential. Saint Pepsi crafts the most nostalgic song of the record here, with the melodies and voices heard throughout innately bringing the listener to a much more beautiful time. 

The Interlude of the album and “I Tried” bring in a very soft and smooth experience, slowing down to add another breather to the record. “I Tried” reminds me of slower vaporwave songs but with a lot more thought into the hook and slow groove throughout. “I Tried” also feels reminiscent of an early Lofi Hip-Hop song but with more oomph to its production.  

Next up is “Strawberry Lemonade,” which is one of the more underrated tracks on the album. While it’s more minimalist and lowkey, the song transforms into not only a smooth experience but a catchy one as well. The song adds elements until the middle, which then adds a nice vocal sample from the song “Show Me Girl” by Clarence Mann. The sample is slowed down considerably, adding an almost alien feel to the already groovy song.  

“Fantasy” also brings in a more lowkey experience as well, with a more outward disco sound than the other tracks. This song’s horns feel very much in place, and it feels like a puzzle perfectly put together. Like the previous song “Have Faith,” “Fantasy” brings in a nice hazy feeling for listeners to latch onto. 

“Miss You” is once again another classic-sounding vaporwave song but it and the Outro to the album nicely cap off the experience. “Miss You” is sort of representative of the post party experience, where everything is settling down. This is also what I think the “slow dance” part of the album is. The song is soft and if you are slow dancing to it, it’s easier to focus on your partner and have that nice, relaxed time with them.  

The Outro has an ambient background with an interview clip with Paddy McAloon from 1990 front and center. 

That is “Hit Vibes” by Saint Pepsi. Unfortunately, it’s not on streaming, but it’s very accessible on YouTube and Bandcamp. If you want a funky, nostalgic album that still sounds fresh 13 years later, I highly recommend listening to it.