Third Album’s the Charm
Releasing their third studio album on March 4th, the bold duo Bob Moses is able to effectively excite listeners with fresh instrumentation and lyrics to match. The Grammy-awarded group keeps up its impressive track record by enticing listeners with their leading synth techniques, lyrical themes and catchy rhythms. Composed of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, this duo crafted an album that tackles a variety of moods and circumstances with both grace and grit.
Prior to releasing the entire album, the group made a flashy start to their single releases with the track, “Never Ending.” This song was the first taste that listeners got to the full album and is packed with masterful musical techniques. The main theme of this track in particular is dissecting the passage of time. By implementing a minor key and using a faster tempo underneath the synth, Bob Moses leaves the listener anticipating what’s coming next. With lyrical themes such as slowing down time, the text is painted with melodic lines to match what is happening within the lyrics. For example, when the song first begins, the first word is “Fading,” and the synth behind starts to create an echoing atmosphere with a quick decrescendo. The music video for this song was also able to firmly pique the interests of those excitedly waiting for the album to be fully released.
Though the single “Never Ending” may be a more solemn song, the rest of the album touches on a variety of moods outside of its first somber release. In contrast to the more introspective single, the song “Back to You” is more upbeat in listening. Although it sounds more pleasant at first glance (being that the song is in a major key), the main themes discuss a euphoric kind of love and how it can poison someone. The stark contrast between the lyrics and upbeat tune illustrates the interesting ways the group is able to tackle these darker emotional issues such as forgiveness, holding grudges as well as eventual heartbreak.
The duo’s most listened-to track so far, another one of their singles by the name of “Love Brand New,” definitely has the most pop elements in their discography. Because of this, this track has a very catchy bridge and chorus that stays in one’s ear long after listening. In some ways, it almost feels similar to some of Coldplay’s mid 2010s music with similar mixing and backing instrumental qualities. With this in mind, it is easy to see how this song was able to already gain almost 2 million listens on Spotify before the entire album was able to drop. This is a very impressive feat for a single on its own and is definitely one of the highlights of what the album has to offer.
Another standout track on the album beyond the hit singles is the second to last song on the album, “Ordinary Friend.” This song is almost hypnotic with an echoey piano cadence in the background throughout the entire song. It has a wistful and melancholic feel, however, it is still upbeat and keeps a fast tempo. It leaves the listener wanting more and is similar in nature to “Never Ending” in lyrical concepts, but with a very different musical skeleton.
Overall, with the use of impressive synth techniques along with catchy tunes and overall themes of loss, lust and time, Bob Moses is able to effectively meld everything together to create a flashy third studio album.
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