Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano are back with their fourth and final single of 2020, “What If,” featuring American singer/songwriter Hannah Ellis on vocals. The venerable Dutch duo have been staying pretty active in 2020. On top of their four original tracks, they’ve also done a handful of remixes and put out a label compilation too. They’ve also been a steady presence on live streams. “What If” is a fitting cap to the year that sees SJRM go back to their club roots.
“What If” wastes no time getting into it; we’re immediately treated to Hannah Ellis’s stunning vocals. “What If” is a track about someone at a romantic crossroads; does she stick around for a love that’s lacking, or does she risk the hurt and go off on her own? I think it’s a proposition we’ve all asked ourselves, “What if having half of someone’s heart is better than nobody there?” The production on the track is pretty minimal. There’s some light bass synths, but overall Hannah Ellis’s voice really stands out. The synths during the drop perfectly sync up with the vocals, until we get a small melodic breakdown. Simply put, this tune sounds great. According to SJRM and Hannah Ellis, the production process came just as smoothly.
“Once we received Hannah’s vocals, we were immediately inspired to create this track. It came together super natural, which is easy when you get to work with such an amazing voice. To us, it’s the perfect follow-up to ‘Life After You’ and a song we’re really proud of.” – SJRM
“I am so excited to be featured on this song with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano! Writing this one felt so effortless and the way they brought it to life just makes you want to turn it up loud and dance as soon as you hear it.” – Hannah Ellis
Check out the latest from Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, “What If,” featuring Hannah Ellis, out now on Sono/Armada. Enjoy SJRM’s EDC Orlando Virtual Rave-A-Thon set too!
