Ladies and gentlemen, these posts are my favorite to write. Just two days ago, I received yet another review request from overseas. This time, the artist seeking my two cents came to me from Wales. Known as The Unknown Brothers (see what I did there?), they are a self described eclectic pop-rock songwriting duo with 60s vibes. Though upon listening to their newest single, "Toxicity," I'm not sure that this description is entirely accurate. I don't believe I would use the word "eclectic" to describe their sound, however placing them in the 60s was absolutely spot on. I personally would drop them somewhere between '66 and '70, and below I will explain why. Their website offers a different bio, in which they call themselves melodic indie pop-rock, which I believe is right on the money.
Their newest single, "Toxicity," features a beautiful melody, achieved by an acoustic guitar paired with a harmony of two male voices, which, to me, very closely resembles the signature sound of Simon and Garfunkel. One song that comes to mind is "The Sound of Silence," which was released in 1966, as mentioned earlier. So where does 1970 fit in? Ask Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, for "Toxicity" is also very reminiscent of their sound, specifically in the 1970 song "Our House."
As I have done in previous posts for single songs, as I can't pick a favorite and least favorite track, I will simply discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the lone song at hand.
Something that this song did very well, firstly, is the mixing. Each component of the song (guitars, vocals, backing vocals, percussion, etc) was mixed damn-near perfectly. There was not one second during any of my several listens of the song where I wish the vocals were turned up more, which is a common problem among younger indie bands. I thought the simple percussion throughout the track kept low provided a subtle backing rhythm for the melody and harmonies above it.
Another strength is the message behind the lyrics. Toxic masculinity is something that is widely seen throughout the world, and in popular culture, but it is rarely discussed or brought into the spotlight. Kudos to this duo for shining a light on the pressure that nearly every man in the world has felt at least once in his life.
Furthermore, the guitar melody and harmonies were the strongest part of this track, and they consistently stayed that way throughout the entire 3:10. However, I have to talk about the weaker part of the song. Someone listening to the song with me pointed out something that I may not have ever noticed myself. Each verse features the same lyrical pattern. While it fits the melody of the song beautifully, it does get repetitive and sonically disinteresting towards the end.
Time for Synic's final thoughts. Overall, I really like what these guys are doing with their sound. They are bringing back the golden age of harmonization. While it is not a sound I actively seek out to listen to on my own, it was actually a pleasure to analyze this song for The Unknown Brothers and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
"Toxicity" - The Unknown Brothers
Thank you for taking the time to listen to our song and give such comprehensive feedback, we really appreciate it. We are particularly pleased you liked the mix, as that is an area was think we can improve on and obsess over at times.
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for sending me your song! It was a lot of fun to review. And It's certainly easy to become obsessive over the mixing, but try not to overthink it too much. Sometimes less is more.
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