Whether he'll ever know the truth, Joji's original is perfectly suited for a cappella: cascading backgrounds, interesting instrumentation, and a pining power ballad landscape just right for a cappella leads to wail into microphones.

But let's talk about the local artists at work here, most notably Grafton High School student arranger(!) Robert Danner. He understands his toolbox: we get slides, we get the vp drop at the right time, we get genuine dynamic contrasts, we get silence followed by a chorus explosion — a young composer who is obviously well-mentored.

Danner is also half of the perfectly matched duet here alongside Pyper Flaig. Together these two enchanting voices create the strength and drive for the song; the backgrounds are lighter, more timid, and not capturing the listener's attention with the same command. Though the volume increases as the song marches toward its soaring height, the intensity from the backs is not as convincing.

Given the song's gorgeous arc from Danner, I have no doubt Slow Dancing in the Dark lands well on stage before a live audience. The musicians from Wisconsin's Graftonics have a good thing going here.