So right off the bat, I suggest trying to keep the time signature the same, at least until the 1:45 mark. This track as the potential to have a pretty infectious groove that gets the listener bobbing their head, but because there are so many breaks in the measures and some unorthodox fills, it's hard to find a place to anchor my ear. Unfortuntely, the chords and melody don't help much either. I'd understand if it's supposed to sound errie and off-putting, but even then it could have been executed a little better simply by having the song be in the same key the entire way through, or having a consistent bassline or melody. Having at least one of those elements remain consistent helps listeners better recognize and acknowledge those sudden changes. You have a few good ideas throughout the track, you just need a better way of pulling it all together.

OFFICIAL NGADM REVIEW:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I really like that 8-bit sound at the beginning, but the melody at the start might be a bit too syncopated for listening to immediately be grabbed in and engaged. Once the drums and bass come in right after then things start to come together, but I recommend trying to make the synth line a bit more simplistic at the start and then make it syncopated melody later on.

As the song goes on, I start thinking that maybe some sections could use a bit more variety, especially around the 1:15 mark. It could be something small like adding some percussion to help push the groove a bit more, or something more complex like coming up with an entirely new melody for the sax that doesn’t sound like the previous synth melody. Whatever it is, I think it’d help the piece from becoming melodically stale overtime. Having some hits and stops every now and then does help a lot in providing a sense of rhythmic variety and interest for your listeners, but don’t neglect the melodious and harmonious variety that also needs to be tended to. The key change at the end is one way of doing that for sure, but don’t be scared to switch up the chords or the melody a bit more too!

The production and mixing here is pretty clean. I love the little sound fxs and other nuances you throw in there to help give the piece a clear setting and atmosphere. I honestly think that’s your strongpoint, easily providing the listeners a familiar atmosphere and setting that can help bring the piece to life in their heads. It’s a rare talent to have so I commend you for it! Really nice work here, I can easily hear this in a video game and fall in love with it!

OFFICIAL NGADM REVIEW:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Those were some nice dreamy chords at the beginning, but I think EQ’ing out a tiny bit of the high end from that synth might’ve helped it not stick out too much. It’s less of a dynamic issue and more of a storytelling issue. You got me hooked in with the chords, but that synth needs to compliment the piano that’s still being played even though it’s the main melody. I also wouldn’t mind turning it down just a bit but I actually think it might be fine with just an EQ fix.

One thing I encourage you to pay attention to more often are transitions between sections. At the 0:46 part, I think you could’ve ended that last chord progression a bit better so that it leads into the next one seamlessly. One suggestion I have is when you hit the Bbmin6, play that for beats 1 and 2 and then change to Gmin/C for beat 3 and 4 of that bar.

For a better understanding of why that might work better, I recommend checking out this video about voice leading, it’s one of the main things that helps make chord progressions and sections flow well together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGbnhJURuIo&ab_channel=GlennZaleski

Also, be cautious of your sound design. At 1:27, those plucky sounds don’t really fit instruments that have already been played in the song up to that point, and they aren’t very well supported by other instrumentation, so overall it sounds very out of place. Maybe if you had some other instruments that better complimented that sound, it’d make it sound a bit more intentional, but without it fitting the overall context of the song up to that point, it’s going to sound like I’m listening to another song. Of course at 1:43, more layers get added on top and now it starts to make more sense. It might not be the same chords as before, but it feels more intentional once you have other parts working well with each other, but I’d still keep in mind how it fits with the section that was played before it. Context matters a lot when it comes to sound design.

The “last chorus” was actually nice and climatic, BUT THE ENDING!!! Aww man, you really blue balled me there, I wanted it to resolve so bad!!! Tbh, unresolved chord progressions at the end of songs could have some really cool effects if they are set up well, but this just felt a bit unfulfilling. Especially when you had those drums building towards a climactic ending, it just made me go, “Aww man, resolve it!!”

Overall, I think you had a pretty cohesive chord progression and a decent mix to go along with it, just those few things I mentioned earlier could help bring the whole piece together a bit better. I urge you to pay closer attention to context when you songwrite, it can really help bring forth more value and deeper meaning between sections of songs. Not a bad job at all though, and definitely not a failed attempt at music.