If proof were needed that a good song is a good song, no matter what genre it calls home, “Let It Go,” the latest single from Natzel, lays out the changeable and chameleon nature of the best music perfectly. Not only is it a deft blend of gnarly, garage rock-infused, anthemic indie, and hypnotic dance vibes, equally at home playing for the mosh pit or the dance divas, inducing waves of energy at the alternative rock venue or dragging people on to the dancefloor at the most exclusive uptown nightclub, but there is also a fully grooved-out, smoothed-out dance mix of the song doing the rounds.
However, we are here to discuss the original version, and while you could label this “electro-rock,” such a term comes with numerous connotations and caveats that we should avoid doing so. But mainly because “Let It Go” is better than that.
Rather than just a rock band with a dance groove bolted on in the post-production process or a dance track with some abrasive guitars dropped in for good measure, this is a song that fully embraces both worlds, doing so with integrity and authenticity.
It would be easy to use bands such as Foals or Arctic Monkeys as reference points, and there is undoubtedly something of each band’s ability to blur the lines of generic demarcations here. But for me, “Let It Go” reminds me of the most marvelous and criminally overlooked of bands, Reverend and the Makers. Anyone who gives me the same glorious rush of euphoria and excitement as when I first heard “Heavyweight Champion of the World” is an artist that I need to keep a close eye on. And so do you. Natzel is not only on that list but has been underlined three times in red pen! Phew!
