New Dawn
Post Grunge/Melancholic/Alternative
"Exceptionally written, performed and produced, I will be listening to New Dawn on repeat on my way to buy flannel shirt to reignite my Grunge phase"
The artist
Chris Flood has been on the scene for quite a while with acts such as Shady Acres. Having seen him live a few times I am accustomed to a dirty & grungy vibe emanating from his stage presence (which you know I live for) which is why New Dawn both surprised me and then brought me home to what I was expecting.
The song
New Dawn begins with an airy and clean guitar that drops off the face of the earth abruptly leaving you with a sense of unease. A piercing dance flavoured kick and snare tangle beautifully with a dark yet pretty chord progression illustrating the introspective woods Mr. Flood is about to haunt you from.
Vibrato-laden vocals hit you in your feels while you ponder why Layne Staley collabed with a Manx musician. A soaring falsetto vocal pops the bubble you are surely in and haves you teetering on the edge of your seat wondering exactly what it was you did in the night that is about to come to light.
The Bridge pulls you into the deep where a fuzzy chorus comforts you and then leaves too soon. A synth melody then emerges brooding and drenched in delay to accompany you to the next verse where you rinse and repeat the brilliant passage above.
The second chorus whisks you away to where the vocal harmonies live (God I love that place). Brilliantly layered harmonies build a truly disturbing soundscape that you don’t want to say goodbye to.
The Verdict
If Layne Staley of AIC arm wrestled Chris Cornell out of Soungarden, obtained a synth and mixed Valium with Stella Artois this song would be on every ‘90s rock hits’ playlist ever compiled. Nostalgic and compelling yet fresh, Chris has achieved a tough task with this brilliant song. Exceptionally written, performed and produced and will be listening to this on my way to buy flannel shirt to reignite my Grunge Phase.
If you like...
If you like the vocals of Alice In Chains, song writing style on Soundgarden and flannel you have to check this entire EP out.
