Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the debut single from Conflict Hope. Dundee (Scotland) based Conflict Hope released Echo on July 14th, 2023. Echo was inspired by a conversation with a fan who was being bullied online. The song is a call-to-action about accepting the damaged parts of yourself and trying to let go of the pain in order to find the light that comes on the inevitable horizon.
Echo is a track that grabs your attention from the very first second and holds it easily right to the end. The track rocks powerfully and is a truly exhilarating ride.
We love the lead vocals (provided by Mollie Stevenson). They are powerful with some strong use of belt, twang and some great control in the head voice moments. Mollie clearly and effortlessly displays a wide range of techniques in her vocal toolbox, whilst injecting emotion and passion into every last syllable. The use of harmony vocals in places serves to bolster the lead beautifully and makes for a great listen.
We also particularly loved the occasional unpredictable chord and the complete change of tempo – both keep you on your toes as a listener and display sublime creativity. The use of sections in this track is highlighted to perfection. There are filtered vocal sections, a beautiful head-nodding instrumental section with vocals over the top and a truly gorgeous gentle acoustic guitar and vocal intimate moment.
The band cite Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters as influences in their music and we can see why. With the addition of Stevenson on vocals, the song is taken to a different level. Stevenson’s vocals reminded us of several of the highly current rock/country crossover artists. With a distinctive vocal, unique and creative musicality and a message that hits you right in the feels, this is a track that has all the elements of hit potential. We’d urge Conflict Hope to send the track to BBC Scotland and local stations as well as seek out internet-based rock stations for airplay.
Ideas from our ears
To our ears, the track may benefit from a little EQ balancing. A boost around 55Hz and another centred around 10kHz followed by a cut around 500Hz would make a difference. Lastly, the top snare mic is peaking at 196Hz so a careful surgical cut here would make it sit better in the track. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Conflict Hope’s single, Echo, is a rocking track with a great message of hope to those struggling with bullying and self-esteem. We’re very much looking forward to hearing more from this highly creative Scottish act.
https://conflicthope.wixsite.com/conflicthopeepk
https://www.facebook.com/ConflictHopeOfficial/
https://twitter.com/ConflictHope
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rQsBNtJ418dQo7nRPYiXb
https://soundcloud.com/conflict-hope-official
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5vAZkbljdrQVJU_64CV2SA
https://www.instagram.com/conflicthopeband/
https://www.tiktok.com/@conflicthope?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc