Drawing a line that threads its way from the new wave sound of the late seventies to the post-punk scene of the following decade, on through the nineties indie heyday and arriving at the point of the rebirth of alternative pop in this decade, “The Siren” reminds us that music is cyclical. And, I’m in no way suggesting that there is anything deliberately backward-glancing about MatAre’s latest single, but you could place the song anywhere on that timeline, and it would undoubtedly turn heads and feel of the moment. But it does sound like a sonic torch being carried through to the present day.
Most music feels to belong to a time, tied to a specific passing fad or fickle, fleeting fashion, but here, MatAre manages to draw together all manner of timeless sounds, ensuring its longevity: it sounds as fresh as it does familiar.
It runs on high-octane pop energy, is threaded through with chiming indie riffs, has enough rock energies flowing through its heart to ensure that it has as much appeal in more discerning realms as it does with commercial pop-pickers, and even shakes things up a bit with a neat reggae breakdown.
I’m old enough to remember when pop was clever, every bit as smart as the rock and indie music that looked down on it; MatAre not only reminds us of such a golden age but, with songs like “The Siren,” is in danger of ushering in a revival. Wouldn’t that be something?
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