With Spring Break just around the corner, Scene is here with new singles sure to brighten up your travel — whether you’re going home or somewhere else.
“Big Blue” by Vampire Weekend
By Cynthia Tran, Scene Writer
Vampire Weekend’s new song, “Big Blue,” is about a relationship that is as short and fleeting as the song itself. Upon my first listen, the song seemed to be a confession of emotions accompanied by a simple and stripped down guitar. When I listened to the song more carefully, however, I noticed a sense of distance and loneliness.
“So am I learning my lesson? Or am I back on my own?” lead singer Ezra Koenig questions. The bellowing bass and gospel-like harmonies that lull below the twangs and strums add the same sense of depth and wideness that you would feel when standing on a beach and staring out into the ocean. The song’s music video features nearly two minutes of fish swimming against a white background, which evokes a similar feeling of just floating along. These melancholy lyrics will not be surprising to fans of Vampire Weekend. However, their recent singles are certainly a step away from their usual upbeat sounds. Having released their last album six years ago, the band’s change is unsurprising, but still something to look forward to come their fourth albums’ release in May.
“Sucker” by The Jonas Brothers
By Dessi Gomez, Scene Writer
Snappy percussion starts the highly-anticipated new single from the recently-reunited Jonas Brothers. While this song has a lot of pep and a feel-good energy about it, there is a certain mainstream quality about it that caters to the radio. Nick’s signature falsetto and rasp make the song a signature of the Jonas Brothers. Joe’s deeper backup vocals cement the song as he carries the bridge into the chorus. The song gets even sassier when the whistling comes in toward the end. Overall, the trio has successfully broken their silence with a new, upbeat sound.
Combined with the music video, the song gains more flare. Watchers are able to distinguish who sings what line and Kevin’s characteristically quieter contribution. Though we don’t hear much from Kevin besides his whistle, he does a good job on the guitar and rocks out with his brothers all the same. The video contains just enough frivolity and flirting to support the story told by the song. The overly colorful outfits, such as the women’s bright poofy dresses and Kevin’s glittering red tuxedo really emphasize the trio’s almost blind loyalty to their respective significant others.
“Calquer the Hound” by The Gotobeds
By Jake Winningham, Scene Writer
Pittsburgh-based post-punk group The Gotobeds are releasing their newest album “Debt Begins At 30” in May, and lead single “Calquer The Hound” signals a promising step forward for the band. Featuring The City Buses’ Evan Richards and Kim Phuc’s Rob Henry, the first half of “Calquer the Hound” finds The Gotobeds pounding out a song that wouldn’t sound out of place on their 2016 album “Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic” — a title that mixes the band's influences with their hometown. The song’s spacey outro, though, is an exciting new sound for a group that had previously made their name by providing straight-ahead music fitting for the Steel City. Keep an eye out for more tracks like this on “Debt Begins At 30,” and bigger things to come for The Gotobeds.
