When the different strings of the sound all pull together and coalesce for the first time, a fire of nostalgic bliss is ignited in the listener familiar with the influences. It is all the best parts of the indie explosion that saw bands like The Strokes and Interpol dominating the radio airwaves. Yet while it sounds similar a different beast beats at the heart of the track providing a new take on the genre.
‘Collide‘ is a perfect example of just what The Deans are capable of and in fact a great introduction to the band in general. It begins by slowing building up the soundscape and layering up the intricacies of the instrumentation. Once it has achieved full guitar jangling throttle in come the vocals with that gorgeous phased out and deeply resonant pitch. There is a crooning aspect to the vocals and it’s one that’s very hard to do well, it has that haunting quality the likes of Ian Curtis or Julian Casablancas employed.
Lyrically it is a song charting the quite frankly bizarre act of throwing yourself into the social anxiety of attending a party where you don’t really know anyone else. But in this simple narrative we are able to chart the more poetic lyrics as they break down the story into its components and focus in on the feelings and reasoning behind it.
The guitar work is phenomenal, and it’s made all the better for the production. It has that rich roaring sound to it that lets every string and strum sing out on its own. It provides the jangling skeletal core that the rest of the sound dances off of and in the moments where it’s allowed a more fiery focus it ignites into climax.
It evokes memories of the summer evenings where I first fell in love with music but it calls back to the bands that inspired those bands too with some moments that remind of The Doors or Joy Division. This is a band happy to stand on the shoulders of giants and set up stage there with an amp cranked all the way to 11 to deliver a fresh and frenetic take on the sound they know and love so well.
Check out the single release and follow the band for future updates.
Words by Matt Miles
