I set out on a mission to really discover some new stuff. It was tough because there’s not really a platform where people interact with one another to recommend new music.
After hours of searching, Bandcamp became my hub for the front lines of discovery. A few more hours go by, after sifting through a couple categories and many artists improving their craft, I came across “Crystal Kelly”. They really caught my attention and they’re truly a gem worth listening to.
As soon as I hit play they were able to bring something out of me. The overall sound, theme, and mixing of this song is truly incredible.
Hit play and listen along:
[0:00]Intro
Right away we’re greeted by the lead guitar’s main hook. We hear a strum from another that’s caught in an endless loop of delay to give us not only filler but more of that mysterious and hypnotic vibe as if we just had a tragic realization. Very fitting for this song and beautifully thought, especially when we hear a swell at [0:12] to queue in the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar. The drums come in hot and are playing a very captivating beat with their crisp sound that dances with our smooth sounding bass. We also hear a second guitar come in with a clean response to our lead and show us to our verse.
[0:25]Verse 1
“We said goodbye but why did it have to go that way?
Why did it have to go that way?
Who knows…?”
Matt’s voice gives us a perfect melancholic tone which is executed very well, a perfect example on how it should be done. If you listen to many other famous artists, those melancholy vocals can go any which way and majority tend to lose your attention very quickly, but not here. I would rank this high up there with Rodrigo Amarante best know for his work on the “Narcos” opening theme and his most popular group “Little Joy”.
The drums here are still crisp, delicate, tame, and amazingly intricate, all mixed perfectly. It seems that our lead guitar is now showing everyone the way “through” with an awesome riff. Right at [0:38] we hear our rhythm guitar slam down every chord to the drum’s beat. What stands out here the most is our bass, It’s packing the same punch as our “kick drum” but in a softer and cleaner tone that brings it all together.
[0:50]Pre-Chrous
We come full circle to our intro. This time the vocals are adding an even more mysterious vibe but we’re given an anxious feeling here with the drums suddenly rushing with their high hats and building us up to something.
“No they won’t….Oh they won’t……They won’t”
[1:02] Chorus
The drums, distorted guitar, clean sounding bass, and the sidewinder riff props up the vocals to deliver:
“Tell me sweet little lies, Far away from when, We caught each other’s eyes…”
I really love how the drums are pumping here; The way the kick and the ride were blended almost makes it sound like there’s a stand-up bass in the background, this could be due to the bass, Floyd Pepper, being on point with every beat. The lead guitar also sounds incredible, the distorted riff that Dan Pearson is delivering does not overpower the other instruments but yet still giving us everything we want from this section.
Throughout the chorus, Matt Baumgartne, has been howling and projecting the lyrics perfectly with the added reverb on top of them to give a bigger dramatic feel. Overall, we’re given that sense of hopelessness, that things are way too late to fix and are beyond repair.
“So who will we become, Will we still know ourselves
When tomorrow’s said and done”
[1:27] Verse 2
After the chorus, we’re pulled back to reality. This time around every single instrument, minus our lead guitar, is punching us with the beat; Very noticeable this time around.
[1:52]Pre-Chorus
We know what’s to come at this point but we’re given a sense familiarity. I believe this might be because the drums are utilizing the ride in this pre-chorus instead of the high hats.
[2:04]Chorus
We’re given a strong and powerful delievery:
“Tell me sweet little lies, Far away from when, We caught each other’s eyes…”
Not only is it the delivery technique of the vocals and how well in tune everyone is, it’s how well mixed everything is because nothing gets lost. You can clearly make out each individual instrument in the chaos, something very hard to do when mixing and mastering. The pump of the kick drum, the groove of the bass, the sound of our distorted rhythm guitar, and the catchy riff from our lead….perfection.
[2:30]Bridge
Out of the chorus we’re tossed out into a daze. Both guitarists, Matt Baumgartner and Dan Pearson, are speaking to each other, throwing down notes that are bent to perfect synchronicity; All the while, Floyd Pepper is laying out a beautiful groove and sliding out every other note to lead the way with an extraordinary tone. Further complimenting all the other instruments is Chad Neald on drums providing those beautiful intricate beats in which he has been delivering all throughout this song. Suddenly at [2:51] we hear that swell from the intro.
[2:55]Outro
We are taken back to a new start, lead guitar is taking us to the end but this time the tone of all the instruments is confident, affirming, and more aggressive. Note the hard hitting beats at every second measure, this fully confirms that we are no long unsure. That out of all this, we are now confident in where we are heading and what we have become.
Overall, this song was beautifully composed, well mixed, finalized, and creative. Crystal Kelly, keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll go far. Keep up the great work and most importantly, keep the music going.
Thank you!
