The honesty and openness of this song is very distinctive, at times quite shocking, and with this, the artist’s leading voice seems noticeably new. The opening lyrics of the first verse are laid fairly bare within the music and the production – the surrounding sound is kept quite minimal for the first few minutes, and so you really focus in and listen to the words, and it feels like an extremely personal and truthful bit of expression. Following this, however, an incredible chorus section comes into play, and the melody and energy of the track from here on in is entirely different to the vibe given off from the opening verse.
The spoken word, up close and personal style of the opening verse returns again towards the end, but this time the words are soaked in music, and the effect is completely different. The creative ways in which the artist has crafted this track around his ideas are really unusual and compelling. The instrumentation is beautiful, varying from the gentle and organic to the heavy and intense, accordingly, and appropriately, with wherever the mood of the song may be at each particular moment.
The performances are superb throughout, the way the music builds has an orchestral, big band sound about it, which comes as quite a surprise after the hugely emotional nature of the opening lyrics. All of these things combined make for a fairly unforgettable listening experience. ‘We’re caught like rats in a maze..’ is a brilliant way to begin the change in melody and the evolution that continues and intensifies as the track progresses. Every flicker of instrumentation seems very thoughtfully placed – nothing is wasted, nothing there simply for the sake of it, plus you eventually get to enjoy the crisp and emotional swagger of the electric guitar solo. Well worth a listen.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.
