A hearty beat is at the center of every move in the new single “Posted” from Sorry It’s Over, and where a lot of other alternative rock outfits would have balanced the percussive weight in this piece with a heady melodic element, this crew does something different – and is winning critical acclaim because of their decision. Though I’m as inclined towards a minimalist rock tune as the next critic is, there’s something rather special about the fluidity of this rather excessive rock anthem, which despite being the first song I’ve heard from this band makes me quite curious to hear what else they can do in the studio.
The blunt force of the bass is a lot for the guitar parts here to contend with, but it’s never so strong as to make our lead singer sound uncomfortable with the sonic arrangement in front of him. Truth be told, his confidence is one of the more important elements that I came across when breaking down the finer points of this track, and although I might like to hear a stripped-down version of the song in the future, I think what they were trying to do here was quite reliant on the level of intensity they afford even the softer melodic componentry.
This drum part never gives up on us, and had it not been given a smart equalization in the master mix, it easily could have drowned us in a brute force most bands just can’t bear. There are a lot of reasons to believe in the sonic dexterity of Sorry It’s Over after listening to a song like “Posted,” and if they can exhibit the same degree of physicality on the road that they have in this studio session, I can imagine their live shows being some of the more intriguing in this post-hipster era for indie rock.
The lyrics in “Posted” suggest a self-consciousness that I would love to hear these guys expand upon a little further in another single, but I can also understand why they wanted to tease us with certain themes in this piece as opposed to breaking something off closer to their full potential. This is a feeler track in a lot of aspects – a prototype if you will – and what it says about the players behind its creation has so much more to do with experimental depth than it does anything about their present cohesiveness. The future is bright here, and I don’t believe I’ll be the only listener to take that away from their latest release.
Indie rock’s most pretentious generation of players is starting to move into the rearview mirror, and in its place we’re finding acts like Sorry It’s Over willing to take up the burden of restoring some credibility to the alternative rock model; a burden, I might add, that this band doesn’t sound all that bothered by in “Posted.” They’re relishing the moment in this single, and if this is par for what they’re going to do the next time they hit the studio, I’ll certainly be game for more.
Heather Savage
