One of my recording professors once told me that “mixing and mastering can make a good song better, but can’t make a bad song good.”
The original “Sportstar,” from Alex G’s recent album Rocket, captures the fuzzy, lo-fi sound the artist has been known for. But when remixed by Domino Records labelmate Porches, who polishes up the vocals and adds clean synths and a bouncy bassline, the song changes without losing any of its original integrity. A good, catchy melody at the heart of the track can still translate no matter how it’s mixed and mastered.
Whether or not the remix made a good song better is up to each listener, but with that crooning Alex G chorus, it’s certainly a good song either way.