10 Oct 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Impostor Syndrome - Single Review: See Everything

25 May 2023 // A review by Karl Brinsdon

Impostor Syndrome’s latest track, See Everything opens with the lonesome jangle of a twelve-string acoustic guitar, making for an interesting introduction. Such an instrument is more common in genres that don’t have the same edge as your typical alternative rock track, but when the bass and drums kick in after the first phrase suddenly the listener is transported away from acoustic folk to something much grungier. This use of ambiguity followed by a sudden contextualisation is very impactful and makes for a refreshing interpretation of the Seattle grunge clean to distortion structure. When the electric guitars come in, the fast strumming of the twelve-string combined with the droned notes shared by each chord transform it into more of a percussive instrument. It almost fills in what the drummer’s hi-hat could be doing if the beat wasn’t primarily thunderous tom rolls; the two instruments act almost as one.

Impostor Syndrome clearly decided what was important in terms of layering for the song. I never feel like any part of the instrumentation is fighting for its spot in the mix. The electric guitars are compensating for the intense rhythm section by holding chords with a lot of reverb. While the electric guitars aren’t playing a lot, the note choices convey the darker emotion of the song. Such skillful execution of economic part writing shows an understanding of the song’s meaning as well as the need to serve the song as a whole rather than draw attention to a single part.

The vocals on the track are performed with great diction. As someone who grew up playing guitar and listening primarily to guitar parts in songs, I personally find it very hard to interpret lyrics in lot of songs and I’m very pleased to say that See Everything is an exception. The note selection of the vocal melody invokes the emotion of the song to the same level as the instrumentation. As with the guitars, the vocals are an economic melodic part; there’s no flashy, fast runs or a huge display of range because to add those would distract from the songwriting. The band explain that the song is about watching the slow degradation of a relationship and the overall song gives the listener no reason to think there’s anything cheerful about the subject.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten to mention the bass part. Once the song gets going, I initially thought Impostor Syndrome had been a little too influenced by Metallica’s “…And Justice for All” and forgotten turn the fader up but upon listening again I couldn’t have been more wrong. In the intro, the bass is prominent and it’s a great melodic part, the reason it becomes less audible is because it blends in with the rest of the instrumentation seamlessly. It’s rare to come across such a melodic bassline that becomes so perfectly subtle in the context of the song.

Overall Impostor Syndrome’s See Everything is an incredible combination of instrumental parts conveying the meaning of the lyrics in a sonic context. As much as I wish I could think of a comparison for the band’s sound, as far as music I’ve been exposed to, Impostor Syndrome have a unique yet somehow strikingly Kiwi sound. Enough of my rambling, See Everything is out now so have a listen for yourself!

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Impostor Syndrome

Soundtracks to experiences. ~ "The band are thinkers, experimenters, and explorers. They bear the bloodline of their now nostalgic forefathers, without following their footprints into the world of tribute. They forge their own path." - muzic.net.nz

Impostor Syndrome is an experimental recording project, whose wide range of influences challenge the idea of what is commonly heard within the confines of New Zealand Progressive Rock. The band is based in Auckland, New Zealand, and blends alternative rock with film score and spoken word, described by muzic.net.nz as ‘Industrial meets Depeche Mode’. Becoming best of friends as seventeen year olds over a shared love of Alice in Chains, it took until 2019 before vocalist Ryan Culleton, drummer Scott Nicolson and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Coulomb were to create music together as a unit.

The 2020 pandemic gave the trio an opportunity to further their learning and experimenting of recording techniques, resulting in an album’s worth of music to be released in 2022. The pursuit of expression and boundless creativity, drawing from a wide range of influences, continues to be the central motivation for the band. They have also been converting a garage into their own recording facility that will no doubt keep the band busy for years to come.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Impostor Syndrome

Releases

Oriens
Year: 2022
Type: Album

Other Reviews By Karl Brinsdon

Black Smoke Trigger - Album Review: Horizons
14 Aug 2024 // by Karl Brinsdon
Horizons by Black Smoke Trigger is a great album to listen to all the way through and with every listen I notice something new. I would be foolish to attempt to put into writing everything that is great about this music, but I have attempted to express my thoughts and feelings about each of the whopping 12 songs.
Read More...
Parallel Park - Album Review: Growing Taller
24 May 2024 // by Karl Brinsdon
Growing Taller from Parallel Park is a very interesting listen. To call it indie pop rock is like putting it into an existing box when it’s something unique that deserves to proudly stand alone.
Read More...
Frei - EP Review: Emergence
24 Oct 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
It's not often that I hear something that I struggle to define with some sort of genre but Emergence by Frei really has me stumped. I must say, that's not a bad thing at all, in fact I totally welcome it.
Read More...
Mismatch - Single Review: Burn
04 Jul 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
A thunderous tom roll drumbeat pans through the stereo field and immediately Mismatch’s latest track, Burn has my attention. A few bars later, the full band comes in, fronted with a simple ostinato lead guitar line which gives a hint of what’s to come later in the track.
Read More...
Tomahawk Radio - Single Review: Missiles
03 Apr 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
Dunedin band, Tomahawk Radio’s latest single Missiles is the first release off their upcoming album. Reading the bands incredible and inspiring story makes me feel really quite lucky that we get to hear this music.
Read More...
Tablefox - Single Review: Mother
09 Feb 2023 // by Karl Brinsdon
Tablefox’s latest track, Mother is an example of everything that modern rock music should be; a great performance that makes use of modern production technologies without becoming overproduced. Finding a good place to start talking about Mother is truly a challenge as with every listen it seems that I notice something new about the track.
Read More...
View All Articles By Karl Brinsdon

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TIMELESS
    The Weeknd And Playboi Carti
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TOO SWEET
    Hozier
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem