This is a classy, driving rocky number. Beginning with a riff reminiscent of the Foo Fighters followed by a Biffy style, epic, high pitched melody guitar line, it cracks on with the riff smoothly, developing into an emotionally wrought and memorable verse. I’m hearing bits of the Manics in the rhythm section and Ash in the feel of the chorus, avoiding sounding too Emo. This distils the last few decades of quality UK commercial (i.e.accessible and radio-friendly) rock with a smattering of US power-pop. Despite these influences it very much has its own unique feel and is in no way derivative or pastiche.
Lyrically the song seems to show confusion about a relationship “I know you’re not the one for me”, “You leave me in pieces every time”, “I’m better off on my own” but then “prove yourself to me”. Good poetry as it leaves the listener to work out what’s going on rather than spelling it out. Upbeat, shiny sounding and positive, I went for a walk after listening to this twice and the earworm wouldn’t shift – always a signifier of a good song.
The production is fantastic. Everything sits in its place and there are none of the jarring vocals that often mar mainstream rock these days. The guitars are exquisitely mixed, not just riffing but sparkling with excellent stereo panning that shines straight into this listener’s brain. The acoustic breakdown is really tasteful, giving a thoughtful pause before the final verse/chorus. How they can switch from pacy to epic repeatedly without sounding too proggy or overwrought is an indication of their strong songwriting skills. They even end the song on a piano riff just to add that extra bit of pure class (non-corny – how do they do this?!) and it has me grinning hard.
Wild Oceans continue to prove that the South West has some serious rock pedigree with bands capable of going toe-to-toe with national acts while keeping their roots intact. “Pieces” is a confident step forward, and if this track is anything to go by, their Cavern show on February 6th is set to be a big one.
The UK needs more bands like this and it would be ace to see stuff like this sell well and get decent airplay. Probably best listened to while driving or with decent headphones while mountain biking – I’ll use this as an excuse to slam round Haldon Forest with headphones on tomorrow!
Words: Stu Pearce (No Ordinary Fish)
