James Brett Drops An Addictive New Track

A release from James Brett delivers a damn near perfect blend of classic '90s alternative and indie approaches, and the whole thing gives me bouts of nostalgia because it beckons artists like Beck or Kasabian, but also blends in these folk-style undertones and a very vast atmosphere that strangely invites you along to join in.

"Torrential Rain" gives you that classic '90s beat which feels a bit up-swing but is actually mid-tempo, with layers of textures and tones going on on top of this undeniable groove, and there's a little bit of swagger and a lot of personality sort of infused into this soundscape.

As the track unfolds, you get organs, some horn-sounding keys, and just this whole orchestrated underbelly that starts showing face, and it's something that wraps itself around you in a particular way because you don't expect it.

This is how James lets the song grow. It gets bigger as it plays on, and that's because there are more layers of instruments coming in and out.

This is a brilliant move, and you can tell right away that there is a lot of attention to detail when it comes to the arrangement of this track, but also the mix afterwards.

The mix of a song is not something I always talk about, but when it comes down to a track like this, it's a must-do simply because the mix of this track is almost everything.

Being able to put all those layers together on top of the vocals that are already double-tracked for most of the song is quite an extensive feat, but it's done very well here because the track gives a certain aesthetic.

The aesthetic is not too serious. It's a bit loose. Those layers of vocals and guitars give a slightly spacious essence. That loose tone or approach is part of that '90s alternative pop sort of aesthetic, and it works well because James is actually able to bring in this Indie undertone and still keep true to some of his folk roots as well.

You could tell he had a blast doing this. The tracks are a bit vivacious and have that great attitude to them that helps push the song and give it its Swagger.

It's a stylish kind of track. It's got that heavy-handed groove that I mentioned earlier, but it's all performed with a sleek and sort of youthful approach that's not calm. It's excitable and slightly rambunctious but not through the roof.

Even those elements are well balanced.

The progressions are awesome, too. There are so many great changes throughout this track that you just don't expect when you first listen to it. This is because it's a pop-oriented song.

Yes, it's got the edginess, it has the looseness, but it's got a pop coating to it that brightens things up, and when you hear these great progressions and changes that you don't expect,  it sounds really cool when they happen. 

You can hear an absolute slew of influences in this one song Alone. James has to be someone who grew up during the 90s and early 2000s, when those alternative and indie rock bands were at their prime. The edgier alternative pop approaches from bands like Kasabian, for example, are evident too but you hear more of the Oasis style influences in the vocals.

So, like I said, there's a lot of pop involved with this track, but he still doesn't let go of his roots of songwriting, and it's the arrangement and progressions that showcase that.

You can hear other kinds of influences in just the way the song is arranged. I hear a certain element of folk mixed in with the indie-pop and everything else.

This mostly comes from how the song is put together and arranged, but that's just me. I could be wrong about who influenced James, but I can tell you right now that it's the combination of his influences that helps create a song like this.

This is a track that's addicting, charismatic, really fun, super danceable, still has edginess to it, and is created with fewer boundaries than what you may be used to.

There are no walls built around this track, and it wasn't created to follow some sort of social norm.

This was done for him because he thought it sounded cool, and guess what, it does.

The song is an absolute banger and I will be listening to it on and off for the rest of the month.

Absolutely check this out and turn it up or listen to it with headphones so you can soak in all these different layers that are happening. Either way, it's going to be a good time.

Remember where you heard it first.

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