Music, Pop Culture

“Tense” by Dark Below

Though they’re just a touch on the murky side and definitely devoid of the pop varnish that has been showing up in a dangerous amount of rock music lately, there’s something about the aggression in the guitar parts of “Tense” that makes Dark Below sound all the more sincere this August. Rather than trying to impress us with their attention to a trend, they’re dedicating themselves to something a lot more ambitious with the melodic concept for this piece, and no matter how you feel about the mainstream alternative rock on record store shelves at the moment, this is a single and music video combo that has a good shot at getting you into the modern rock movement on the underground side of the market.

TWITTER: https://mobile.twitter.com/darkbelowmusic

These lyrics have a lot of self-searching in their subtext, but the cosmetic value of the track isn’t shaped entirely by the linguistic side of the music. If anything, I think the guitar element is dependent on the flow of the verses to really connect with us in a big way here, and where others would have emphasized the drums in the backdrop, Dark Below is using every part of their sound to move this song along – which is more than what almost any of their contemporaries have been willing to do when getting into the recording studio. Blue-collar rock isn’t normally associated with this kind of harmonies, but the work ethic in this sound is too potent for anyone to miss or ignore.

The thick bottom end in this mix brings Chevelle to mind, and the similarities between Dark Below and their predecessors actually foster some rich familiarity for the listener that wouldn’t have been present in this work otherwise. There’s something really lean and smooth in the construction of “Tense” that doesn’t start or end with an external aesthetic, which is more than what a lot of progressive-minded songwriters are able to pull together in this type of setting. You can’t debate the talent that’s working on this release, and moreover, what they’re able to do with it when they’re putting their heads together on something as simple as a riff or even a drum pattern (both of which are remarkable elements of this song).

DOWNLOAD: https://linktr.ee/darkbelow

Post-Helmet alternative rock that doesn’t sound saccharine or recycled can be difficult to come by if you’ve got good taste in thoughtful but still straightforward music, but if this is what you’ve been hankering for over the past few months, Dark Below has got quite the gem you need to hear for yourself before the summer is over. “Tense” lives up to its title, but there’s still a lot of ground left for these players to cover the next time they get together to do something big. They’re leaving quite a sonic footprint in this release, and provided they keep as heavy as they are in “Tense,” I don’t see the interest they’re getting from critics and audiences alike beginning to slip away from their reach anytime soon.

Troy Johnstone

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