The music of Sleepwalking Norma has the carefree grit of indie rock yet the progression and live sounding ambiance of something a little more country or blues rock. It’s an interesting combination, the verses point consistently in that indie rock direction – the simple melody, featuring only a couple of notes and a considerably higher amount of lyrics. The instrumentation as well, the sound is distorted, everything is a little off centre, not supremely polished as pop often is but reminiscent of a live, lost in the moment performance perhaps.
Later on, the chorus or hook section appears quite differently to how you might expect. There’s a rise in passion, the melody flies much higher, the instrumentation doesn’t vary too much but you notice the change, you pay attention to the shift. In many ways, the hook hits with greater impact due to the somewhat less interesting verses surrounding it. It’s not that the lyrics aren’t appealing or unique, they really are, but the hook sounds quite spectacular in contrast with these verse moments. The repetition featured in the chorus focuses on the self, the ‘I’, whereas the verses seem to focus on you; the other, the listener. When things become more personal, more reflective of the songwriter’s own experiences and identity, that’s when your attention is really drawn in. That’s when things become new and unpredictable.
There’s a lot to be appreciated in these lyrics and his gritty and genuine approach to making music adds a slightly endearing quality to the sound that most probably translates much more powerfully in a live setting. There’s a touch of classic Kings Of Leon to the sound of this particular song, that indie realness they presented long before the whole world knew who they were.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
