A Moody New Post-Punk Single from Ballerina Black
A single release from Ballerina Black comes through with a lush and atmospheric post-punk vibe, blended with this classic sort of gloomy overtone, hints of New Wave, thick synthesizers, moody vocals, and a pretty driving bass guitar tone that lets the song breathe.
This single opens right up with an amazing tonality. You have these thriving synthesizers that really add a lot of melody and depth to the track.
The drums are perfectly performed for the mood of this single, and they have this touch of reverb effect on them, which is a classic post-punk approach, and a lot of the other instrumentation has the same.
Part of the point of a song like this one is that you're supposed to be immersed in it. The song completely accomplishes that, and plenty of that has to do with not only the melodies and performances but the final mix and how wet everything can feel.
All of this was well thought out, and there's loads of attention to detail in terms of getting the right textures together so that you do get engulfed by everything here in this soundscape.
The synth work changes here and there, and it's completely brilliant. The keys and synthesizers are such a huge element of why this song works so well.
Those are the kinds of things that really wrap themselves around you. The keys and synths are like the vocals on the track. They are all melodically driving and give you loads of these hooks to hold on to.
One of my favorite aspects about this genre in general is that it Gives You instrumental hooks, which is something I've missed in music for such a long time in general.
Don't get me wrong, you get big, sort of robust choruses that you can swim through, but instrumental hooks are really key with music like this.
These guys completely nailed the aesthetic they were going for, and you do get swallowed up by these layers of textures and tones coming at you from all directions.
Even though the song is quite full-bodied and lush at certain points, it also breathes, as I mentioned earlier. The song sort of gives you swells and then exhales back down. I love the feel of a song like this because it's just alive the entire time.
You sort of know where it's heading, but it gives you more than what you hoped for.
The vocals are awesome here because they are layered up. They sound double tracked a lot of the time and some of them feel a little bit more whispering than others, while in different parts of the song, the vocals are both on the same page in terms of the energy given.
It's about those melodies though. The melodies are what get you. The vocal performance is really well done and has emotion behind it, blends with the mood of the song, and again, the whole thing gives you this pop-riddled gloomy tone and feel that just builds such a great sound for you to step into.
The song is called 8th & Never, and it certainly feels like it delves into a situation where you're with somebody who may be physically there but mentally and emotionally, are completely gone.
It deals with some of the emotional frustrations that you get when you're with a person like that.
It's not an easy situation, and there are struggles because you want to connect with them but they are in a different place. You are not on the same wavelength whatsoever, and that can be a bit daunting.
I love the way the lyrics are articulated. There's one line in particular during the chorus that says "the loneliness of only knowing you", and that really spoke volumes for the sentiment of the track.
I feel like it's totally relatable, and other people will completely connect with this aspect.
Now, this is how I interpreted the song. Others may take it a little differently, but for me, the sentiment was pretty loud and crystal clear.
There's great detail given in some of those lyrics, and it's sort of a blend of being metaphorical and completely straightforward.
That's part of the coolness of how all the lyrics are put in place.
It gives you a bit of that depth with words, paints a bit of a picture, but comes through with all the emotional backing that you would expect from what the song is about.
One of the things that really impresses me about this whole thing is that the instrumental aspect of the song lines up and creates this mood for those lyrics damn near perfectly.
This was a really cool track, and I feel like that bass guitar line is the glue that keeps it all together.
It just rolls through the song and gives it that almost popping rhythm that it needs.
This was excellent, and anyone who's a fan of post-punk, classic sort of New Wave elements, emotional push, and just plain old authenticity that blends that sort of gloomy, moody aspect with pop undertones, will absolutely love this.
Again, it's really easy to just sink right into.
So, take a deep dive into this track as soon as you can; listen with headphones because it's one of the best ways to soak all of those layers in, and see what this does for you.
8th & never | Ballerina Black | BALLERINA BLACK
Stream 8TH & NEVER by Ballerina Black | Listen online for free on SoundCloud