Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Nashville’s, Garland Kelley. The Point Of No Return is released today, 24 February 2023.
We previously reviewed Garland’s single, A Mind Of Your Own and it shot Garland to the top of our “ones to watch” list. We were thoroughly impressed at the creativity and musicianship on this track so we were hugely excited to see his name reach the top of our reviews pile again today.
The Point Of No Return is a song which addresses climate change and our own self-destruction. With relatable lyrics and a super-catchy chorus, this song is bound to get under your skin and have you humming it for hours.
The Point Of No Return starts with a quick drum fill and into a full band indie rock sound. A guitar riff is repeated and gets stuck in your head. Already the song feels memorable before the vocals even come in.
The intricate and tight work on the hi-hat gives the song a 16-beat feel and the drum fills are interesting throughout. The changes in rhythm patterns throughout the song make for an easily captivating listen.
We loved the use of harmonies in this track, at times they were subtle and in the background, and at other times they were in line with the lead vocal’s volume. They added a huge sound to the choruses in particular.
Vocally, we were reminded several times of Billy Joe Armstrong’s (Green Day) voice in Holiday. There were also a couple of spots where the voice shifted effortlessly into falsetto which reminded us of Fish (particularly Marillion’s track, Don’t Hurt Yourself).
A Santana-style and tone guitar solo builds into a superb crescendo before powering back into the chorus. If you’re not singing along by this point, then perhaps you simply don’t have the track on loud enough.
Ideas from our ears
A couple of cuts around 600Hz and again around 2kHz would reduce some ‘honky’ and slightly ‘harsh’ tones, respectively. Maybe a boost centred around 10kHz for overall brightness too. To our ears, we would like to have heard a little more stereo which can easily be introduced with a basic plug-in included with pretty much every DAW. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Another stunning track from Nashville’s, Garland Kelley. An artist in every sense of the word. We have no doubt this is a name you’ll be hearing a great deal more of in 2023.