What if “Gameboy” by KATSEYE was a Dance Pop Track?
Producing Songs I’ve Never Heard: Gameboy by KATSEYE [EPISODE 19]
This week’s challenge: Gameboy by KATSEYE! I hadn’t listened to them before, so this was my first time hearing anything of their music. I’d seen some of the discourse online about their debut single “Gnarly” getting mixed reactions, but I went into this one with an open mind.
🎤 Here’s the acapella if you want to play along and hear what I heard first:
Right away, I loved the topline, it was super catchy and playful, with R&B-leaning melodies that reminded me of early Ariana Grande. Between the vocal tone, the wordplay, and the overall vibe, it totally scratched the post-Little Mix, girl group itch I’ve been feeling lately. I knew I wanted to take it in a fun, high-energy direction.
In past episodes, I’ve been trying out different Serum 2 preset packs, but this time, I realized I hadn’t really touched any of the plug-in’s factory presets. So I challenged myself to build this track using only those synths.
For drums, I pulled loops from the Voltage pack by Audiomodern on Splice.
And then I stumbled across a factory bass patch called “Gnarly Reese.” That felt like a sign. I built a bassline with it first, it had this growly, buildup energy, but I wanted something a little more bouncy and playful to contrast it.
That’s when I found the preset “Club - Bottle.” This preset had the exact donk I was craving. So I ended up writing a second bassline and used both, one for tension, one for release. Between those two sections, the vibe finally clicked.
Once the hook was locked in, I focused on how to make the verses stand out. I wanted a noticeable contrast between the sections to keep the listener engaged.
For verse 2, I used a subtle pluck to drive the rhythm without overwhelming it.
For verse 1, I went even more minimal, layering in a muted pluck and a small riff to let the vocal breathe and create a sense of buildup.
All the sections have distinct textures, but they still flow together, and that contrast helped bring the whole thing to life.
🎧 Haven’t heard the original yet? Check it out here:
Not that it was all that surprising, but the original ended up being a very different vibe from the direction I went in. Where I went full on dance-pop, the original gave straight-forward pop-R&B. It was cute, lighthearted and I loved all the straight-leg choreography moves. It was much more laidback, so I think if you’re looking for a version with a bit more energy, my version fills that void.
I’m really looking forward to hearing more from KATSEYE. What did you think of the track? Which version was your favorite?
Let me know in the comments!
🔎 Looking for more?
Find all previous episodes in this series here
And make sure to check out my original music wherever you like to stream: https://spoti.fi/4jFkl9y