Music analysis: Highvyn's IN BETWEEN is worth getting lost in
Highvyn is an alternative pop secret that is becoming increasingly difficult to keep, writes Music News Blitz's Victoria Bruwer.
With more than 205,000 monthly Spotify listeners, millions of streams across his catalogue and a growing international audience, the Korean American alternative pop artist is quickly becoming one of those names that keeps quietly appearing on playlists before suddenly becoming impossible to ignore.
After spending the last few years steadily building his discography, Highvyn has now released his first full length mixtape, IN BETWEEN, proving that his music is anything but background noise.
A mixtape years in the making
Released on May 15, IN BETWEEN is an 11 track mixtape that represents far more than a collection of songs.
According to Highvyn, the project has been his life for the past three years.
Written and produced alongside a close circle of friends and collaborators, he describes the record as an archive of his dreams, his fears and everything in between.
Highvyn exists somewhere between alternative pop, digital soul, indie and dark R&B, constantly blurring genres rather than settling into one.
His music never feels rushed. Instead, every song unfolds patiently, layering soft vocals, atmospheric production and emotional lyricism into something immersive.
Fans have clearly connected with the project too.
Both "Valentina" and "444" have each surpassed 1.6 million Spotify streams, making them early standouts from the mixtape.
There's a Highvyn song for every mood
In an Instagram reel with @OnesToWatch, Highvyn pairs songs with different moods.
Need something to start off your late night drive? Put on "Moon."
Chilling with friends? "ghosts" is a crowd favourite.
Singing in the shower? "Lose Myself."
Falling hopelessly in love? That's "Valentina."
And his favourite for singing with a crowd is "Haunting" as it leans into rock influences.
Even though every track carries its own personality, they all feel connected by the same emotional thread.
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The perfect artist for people who love to feel everything
Describing Highvyn's music is not entirely easy.
His songs sit somewhere between dreamy and melancholic.
Minimal yet incredibly detailed.
It's music that encourages you to slow down and actually sit with your emotions instead of rushing past them.
It's music to get lost in your thoughts with.
That emotional quality has been present since the beginning of his career in 2022.
His catalogue already includes streaming successes such as "ghosts", which has surpassed 13 million Spotify streams, alongside "stranger" with more than five million and "angel", which has crossed the four million mark.
Highvyn feels like the artist you recommend only to your closest friends because you're convinced you've stumbled onto something special.
The only problem is that everyone else seems to be discovering him too.
Songs like "ghosts" and "Valentina" have gone viral on TikTok, with fans lip-syncing and creating edits using the audio.
Simple visuals, unforgettable atmosphere
Highvyn's music videos create an atmosphere focused on feeling.
Sometimes that's an interpretive dance performance.
Sometimes it's a car burning in the middle of nowhere.
Other times it's something beautifully ordinary, like watching a couple move in and out of a new apartment together or spending an evening alone at the beach as the sun disappears below the horizon.
The best example of Highvyn's overall vibe is the visual for his music video "Do The Same".
Highvyn sits comfortably on a couch in the back of a moving truck while the scenery rolls past behind him without a care in the world.
Nothing dramatic happens.
The concept is wonderfully uncomplicated, yet perfectly captures the laid back, reflective energy that has become synonymous with his music.
It perfectly embodies the freedom, calmness and quiet introspection that define so much of his work.
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What's next for Highvyn?
Following the release of IN BETWEEN, the artist is already looking ahead.
His next single, "Morphine", arrives on July 24 and is already available to pre save.
Fans attending his upcoming Los Angeles show will also be the first to hear the song performed live before its official release.
He's set to headline The Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles on July 25 before bringing the show to Subterranean in Chicago on August 22.
If IN BETWEEN is any indication, Highvyn has found exactly where he belongs, somewhere between indie, R&B and alternative music, creating songs that feel intensely personal while somehow becoming universally relatable.
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