Introspection, accompanied by amazingly somber strings and heart-tugging lyrics, Kahone Concept’s “It’s Safe to Say I Have Regrets” is contemplation at its finest. We all have regrets in one way or another– maybe you’ve passed up an opportunity you should have taken, or lost contact with a person you cared about. Either way, it’s natural to have regrets about our youth once we’ve grown and gained some hindsight as to how we could’ve or should’ve acted. Kahone Concept marries these missteps with beautifully blended strings and percussion, which all come together to create a cathartic track that everyone can relate to.
There’s just something about “It’s Safe to Say I Have Regrets” that makes me keep coming back to its beautiful, twinkling strings. Its instrumentals are an elegant and somber thing; it oozes melancholia and a wistful tone. Against Kahone Concept’s ardently emotional vocals, the instrumentals swell at the 1:50 mark. It is, by far, one of my favorite things I’ve ever heard from music; there aren’t many words to describe how aching the final verse is with this beat drop. Since the song begins so slow and mediated, it just makes that last verse so much stronger as you’re surrounded by Kahone Concept repeating “it’s safe to say I have regrets.” It eventually winds down around 2:22, but you’ll still feel like you’re caught in the wake of a large wave, the silent ripples gripping you in the tide. “It’s Safe to Say I Have Regrets” touches on the one thing we don’t want to think about: regretting. Yet, the songwriting makes its acknowledgement feel cathartic; Kahone Concept sings “I wish that I could start again” as a sort of renewal, or rebirth. As the final verse then comes along, with its beat drop and impassioned percussion, you can feel the pulling of the veil to reveal that we all have regrets, but it’s important to remember that without those mistakes we wouldn’t be who we are today.
Kahone Concept, AKA Ben Kahone, is a Pittsburgh-based artist and producer. In his childhood, he taught himself how to play a myriad of instruments, but struggled to find people to start a band with. From then on out, he began to produce music independently. Kahone Concept’s debut track released in 2018, entitled “Windup”. Additionally, his debut EP dropped the same year: “And Then, My Five”. “It’s Safe to Say I Have Regrets” is Kahone Concept’s latest release, which he calls a reminder that he’s the “lovechild of Coldplay and depression.” This track is the tenth song out of twelve for his song-a-month-for-a-year project. Eventually, these songs will be compiled into his debut album called “The Greatest Hits”. If you enjoyed “It’s Safe to Say I Have Regrets”, then you’ll absolutely want to keep an eye out for his next releases and that debut album!
Written By Alexa Leung
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