How emotional suffering led into a masterpiece
New single review: Sometimes - Sweet Unrest
Sometimes you’re overwhelmed by sadness and get to the point where you feel powerless, taken over by the emotions, defeated. Then all of that builds up inside, to the point where you eventually explode and turn the sad weakness into angry power. That’s what happens in Sometimes. It’s an explosion, a rebellious outburst, a protest. A refusal to be defeated.
I had been waiting for very long for Sometimes to be released. I’ve heard it live many times and I always thought it was a really good song. But I could never imagine how much better it could get in the studio. They managed to turn a really good song into an absolute masterpiece.
It gets even more powerful when you know what’s behind the lyrics. The song reflects heartbreak and shock by the loss of friends. It’s an angry super-charged outburst, an angry and forceful demand for sadness and grief to turn into joy and celebration of life. The sudden arrangement change was inspired accidentally during rehearsal in the studio. They started the song while drummer Dan was still setting up his kit. He was ready to start playing exactly at the start of the first chorus. It just happened to fit perfectly.
Before I even think about similarities in terms of the meaning of the lyrics, just by listening to the arrangement, that kind of transformation from verse into chorus, made me think of Welcome To The Black Parade. Only, Sometimes sounds even better.
The track was recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios and mixed by Luke Burgoyne (Libertines, J Hus, Bastille) and everything sounds exactly right. The guitar riffs and solos, the drums, the way Jack’s voice blends in with all the different sounds, everything is exactly as it should be. On the less tense parts of the song, the harmonies are perfect. You can tell, Jack sings the song with his whole body. Throughout the song, he showcases a wide range of vocal skills, along with the ability to navigate through them within the same song. Even that little “ah ah” he makes before the first chorus, when the arrangement gets into explosion mode, may sound like a simple thing, but somehow I find it genius. It’s artistically perfect.
I’ve said in the past that Falling For You is a world class banger that deserves to be discovered by millions of people. I’m now thinking Sometimes is on that kind of level too. This song is totally authentic and real. It’s created out of feelings and inspiration. It’s the kind of song that really matters. It's a masterpiece driven by emotional suffering. Listen to it through headphones and with your eyes closed, to pay attention to every sonic detail from the production. Take in every wave from the guitar riffs, the drums and the vocals. Let the song take over your body. And here’s a challenge: See if you can listen to it just once. Can you?
The songwriter tells the story of the song
Lead singer Jack River who wrote the song, tells the story of the creation and evolution of Sometimes: “The first verse was written after a breakup. It was left unfinished, until a few months later two of my friends died in the same week, and the final verses fell into place immediately. Despite verses inspired by different events, the song all deals with one feeling: looking back fondly on people who aren’t here anymore. After the deaths, I had a revelation on how I’d spend the rest of my time alive: I felt strongly that all I had to do was love better. If I could do that, they wouldn’t have died for nothing. That’s what the final verse is about. The song starts with an aching heart, and then explodes into a celebration of joy and life, as though it’s working through the grief in its own way. Each time we play it, it reminds me that after sadness there will always come joy.
After writing it, I played this song to the band in rehearsal on the acoustic guitar, as Dan was setting up the drum kit. He set it up just in time to kick in right after the first chorus. It was a moment of accidental perfection and all of our eyes lit up. We knew that had to be the structure. Halfway through, a brooding acoustic song was transformed into something that made you want to dance and celebrate life, and all of a sudden the song meant so much more”.