“Likethelast” is many things, but before you get stuck into what the song is actually woven from, as it sets off on its sonic journey, you realise that the song is also a reminder that the rock enclave of the musical map is a very broad and eclectic place. For whilst this is clearly a song built from rock, indie, and, indeed, indie-rock elements, it also delves deep into other, less expected genres.
But hey! Isn’t that the whole point of working in such a post-genre world, that demarcations and boundaries are at worst advisory, at best, totally avoidable? Isn’t it such unexpected blends that keep the music world interesting?
Well, Highroad No. 28 seems to think so, and this new single, the last track on their album, The Will To Endure, reminds us that the odd and eclectic, the unexpected and the adventurous are where we find all the best bands, all the forward-thinking ones, calling home.
“Likethelast” is, for want of a better word, un-second-guess-able, a song based in rock territory but also employing angular and perhaps unexpectedly jaunty ska-infused, off-beat guitars, hushed and harmonious vocals that are more often found in the pop world, and a rap-speak interlude, before the song finally finds itself entering a strange final stretch woven from artistry and echoes.
It’s rock but not quite, or at least not just. It is rock with a vibe for musical theatre, rock with a slight Brechtian tilt, rock that has thrown away the rulebook, that ignores the road signs and blends anything and everything that takes its fancy.
All music genres need to constantly evolve and update themselves. “Likethelast” is the sound of one part of rock’s cutting edge doing just that.
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