"Sheesh!" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Surfaces featuring Tai Verdes | ||||
from the album Pacifico (deluxe edition) | ||||
Released | August 20, 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2021 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:29 | |||
Label | TenThousand Projects | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Surfaces singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Tai Verdes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Sheesh!" (live performance) on YouTube |
"Sheesh!" is a 2021 song by the American music group Surfaces featuring singer Tai Verdes. The song was debuted during Surfaces' trip to perform at Lollapalooza in 2021 and was released a few weeks later. The song was presented at a time when the phrase "sheesh" was rising in prominence as a slang term with new meaning, as an internet meme and as a viral TikTok theme. The song has been used commercially in a variety of ways including ad campaigns by Toyota and Pizza Hut.
The use of "sheesh" as an expression has a history of popular use on TikTok,[1] and in 2021, use of the phrase spiked as a viral trend on the platform,[2][3][4] often in humorous, memetic contexts,[5] as well as being used as an ad-lib in hip-hop performances.[6]
Surfaces rented a house fitted with music production equipment in Malibu, California, for two weeks, where they created "Sheesh!" and other songs.[7] They performed at Lollapalooza on August 1, 2021,[8] which was their first music festival performance.[7] They debuted "Sheesh!" the night before at a smaller venue, but played it for a large audience for the first time at Lollapalooza.[7] This performance was streamed live on Hulu,[9] and the song was subsequently re-streamed 4 million times within 11 days.[7]
The studio version of the song was released on August 20, 2021,[10] as part of Universal Music's New Music Friday release (Universal Music is the parent label of TenThousand Projects, the label which Surfaces signed on to).[11] The song's music video comprises videos of live performances featuring Tai Verdes, filmed at festivals including Lollapalooza before the September 8, 2021, start of their "Good 2 Be Back Tour".[10] "Sheesh!" was included on the deluxe version of Surfaces' fourth album, Pacifico, which was released on September 6, 2021.[12]
On "Sheesh!", Surfaces members Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki are credited as composers and Tai Verdes is a featured artist, while Kameron Glasper and Tayla Parx have music composition credits for the song. Other credits include Colin Leonard as mastering engineer, Medasin as producer, and Sacco as mixer.[13]
"Sheesh!" peaked at number 30 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart on August 30, 2021.[14] Despite its lack of commercial success, the song has been described as a "fan favorite".[15]
The staff at The Austin Chronicle note that Verdes contributes "hooky grandeur and speedy-smooth lines" to the song.[16] Former Radio Disney music programmer Austin Bessey described the song as chilled out pop with a hip-hop twist meant for cruising.[17]
In early 2022, Saatchi & Saatchi produced a commercial for that year's Toyota Corolla Cross. The ad, known as "Olympics: Perfect Getaway", debuted on January 24, 2022 and featured "Sheesh!" in the background. The ad aired during the 2022 Winter Olympics.[18] Toyota was still using the song in its commercials as of May 2022[update].[19]
In late 2022, the song was featured in a Pizza Hut ad campaign. Pizza Hut produced a 30-second "World of Me" and 15-second "Hands" commercials that debuted on October 27, 2022. The Pizza Hut commercials, which feature Craig Robinson and Oriana Siphanoum, initially targeted NBC Sunday Night Football, Bachelor in Paradise, and College GameDay audiences as well as digital channels such as YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch.[20] The "World of Me" commercial, spanning 30 seconds, was produced by Spark Foundry, GSD&M, and Deutsch NY.[21]
The song has been used in other ads, including a March 2022 Rock County, Wisconsin, public safety community outreach video effort.[22] Additionally, a sample of the song can be heard on a second-season episode of The D'Amelio Show.[23]