Wow, it’s nice to stumble across an artist, particularly one working in rock environs, who understands the power of groove. “Get Up Kid,” the new one from Mapping The Sky, is all groove. The bassline is groove-central. The guitars ebb and flow to follow the same dynamic path, and even the drums, with their spaciousness and solid, yet unfussy patterns, reinforce this element of the music.
But beyond that, “Get Up Kid” gets more challenging to define. There is a squalling, squealing, searing sound to the guitars that is reminiscent of the more extreme college rock sound of yore, an intensity that bridges grunge’s belligerent onslaught with sub-metal sonics; it is anthemic and writ large, wide-screen and cinematic. And yet, there is something very accessible to the song, as if pop infectiousness had been welded onto a runaway alt-rock onslaught.
Man, a lot is happening in this not quite four-minute salvo, but somehow, there is room for everything to be accommodated, do its job and do it brilliantly. I’m not sure how Jordin Swanson the person behind the Mapping The Sky moniker, fits it all in, but he does, and long may he continue to pull off such deft sonic tricks.
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Soundcloud
