On October 29th, the indietronica/dream pop band Beach Novels released their new single, “Smiling.” Equal parts The Cure and Post Malone, “Smiling” covers all the bases. It sounds fun and uplifting with just a twinge of sadness, and the lyrics are on the sadder side. Like I said: very Cure.
The pulsing synth bass keeps the track moving while the guitars and lead synths create the atmosphere for the vocals to step in. While it might seem somewhat basic on the instrumental side, the energy is present. The soul of the 80’s is in there. That soul is what makes the track hit so hard, even though the mixing in the chorus is a bit loud. That can’t even be taken as too much of a problem, though, because varying dynamics are present throughout the rest of the track. All in all, a solid recreation of the 80’s for a modern audience.
Definitely check out “Smiling” below if you want to be, as they said in Sing Street, “happy-sad.” It’s a beautiful song. Let us know what you think, though!
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