Well this is something a wee bit different for the blog. For the first time I have been contacted by someone in the outside world and they have asked me if I would consider listening to a band’s music, specifically their latest single, and give my thoughts and feelings here on A-Side Glance. Of course, I said. Glad I did too.
The single in question comes from an indie rock band in Devon by the name of Region, a three piece consisting of Luke, Rio and Will who describe themselves on their website as “friends who just want to have fun with their music”. Their inspirations include the Foo Fighters, so immediately I know I’m dealing with a band with good taste which is always good. So far they have two singles to their name and it’s their most recent that we’ve got on our plate here, just released on February 20th.
First thing I got from this song: Noise. The slight sound of static gives way to a loud whining guitar that grabs your attention and puts you on your toes. Rather gritty, borderline punk sound which immediately strikes me with the thought that this is going to be a song that translates well onto the stage once live shows are up and running again (No more cock ups till June, please and thank you). It’s a tune that reflects well on the opening lyrics talking of ‘Driving towards the sunset’ before we get deeper into the song and the narrator laments how the person they are singing to isn’t the same as they once were. While like I say there is an undercurrent of punk to this song, the theme of melancholy quickly becomes apparent. ‘I just don’t know whether you are yourself anymore’. It’s not full blown sadness, it’s frustration more than anything. The repetition of the line ‘I don’t know’ throughout the song then indicates that frustration has given way to hopelessness.
And I don’t think that’s more apparent than in the third verse, the first after the chorus. Luke has gone on record saying this is his favourite verse that he has written up to this point, and I would have to agree as it is the lyrical highlight of the song. While ‘I don’t know’ is a recurring line throughout, here this verse deals with the person being trapped in his head, like a fly buzzing around in your ear; it’s bloody annoying and we end with the mantra ‘Just get out, get out, get out, get out’. We all get that feeling of getting something or someone stuck in our heads but when it’s something we don’t think we can solve or do anything about, we loath every minute we spend dwelling on it. After all, what’s the point?
If I do have to be critical about one thing with this song, it has to be with the chorus. While I love the tune behind this song and all three members are doing a cracking job with their instruments, I do feel like that the mixing is just a smidge off and that Luke’s vocals are ever so slightly drowned out by the guitar riffs. Like I say I love the tune but there is a point where it becomes overbearing and that is the point unfortunately. However, that is the only real nit I had to pick and apart from that, I rather enjoyed idkwhyidkwhere. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Region have got up their sleeve once the world has unscrewed itself.
If you want to check them out for yourselves you can follow the link below to their website, and below that is a vid where Luke explains the lyrics and production of the song.
Also, if you’re an up-and-coming artist like Region and you want me to check out your music for the blog then feel free to drop me an email: asideglance21@gmail.com
Region’s website: https://regionbandofficial.wixsite.com/regionofficial
A-Side Glance 