B-Side Guys

The marriage of visual and sonic artistry rarely feels as natural as it does in Einat Hal’s “City of Shame.” As both animator and musician, Hal brings her multidisciplinary perspective to this lead single from her upcoming debut album, creating something that feels both seen and heard.

Working with producers Ziv Grinberg and Liad Mor, Hal has crafted an arrangement that mirrors her visual sensibilities. The track’s neo-soul foundation provides a canvas where live instrumentation adds splashes of color – vibrant drums marking time like animation frames, bass lines drawing curved paths through the mix, guitar riffs creating textural highlights.

The production maintains a delicate balance between urban pulse and organic warmth, reflecting Hal’s stated interest in both city rhythms and natural spaces. This duality appears throughout – ethereal vocals float above earthy percussion, electronic elements weave through live instrumentation, creating a soundscape as layered as her animated worlds.

Her background in animation and design reveals itself in the song’s structure. Each element enters with purpose, building a complete picture rather than simply filling space. The rhythm section doesn’t just keep time; it creates depth and perspective, while Hal’s vocals add emotional dimension to the scene she’s painting.

The influence of Fleet Foxes and Belle & Sebastian appears in unexpected ways – not through direct imitation, but in how Hal approaches storytelling through multiple artistic lenses. Like those artists, she understands how to make specific experiences feel universal without losing their personal edge.

Fresh from the mountains of Dharamshala, Hal has created something that feels both grounded and transcendent. “City of Shame” suggests an artist whose multiple creative paths don’t compete for attention but rather illuminate each other, creating something richer than any single medium could achieve alone.