Joe Traxler is set to release his latest track, Forget How To Speak, on February 18. For fans of synthy-indie-pop this is for you!
Forget How To Speak has an almost disco like feel to it in places, bringing to mind perhaps how the Beegees would sound if they were putting out music right now! There were hints of Scissor Sisters in there too.
I was particularly taken with the falsetto in Joe’s voice. Really classy and well performed. This was a real treat to listen to.
The lead vocals are crystal clear and sit up front nicely in the mix. Backing vocals had a superb long reverb on them to make them sit comfortably in the background without dominating at any point.
The song develops well, and has plenty of rise and fall in it to maintain interest. I particularly like the dreamy electric guitar in the breakdown sections (esp around 2 minutes).
Some really rich and sumptuous keys sit nicely in the mix and serve the purpose of bolstering up the overall sound and balancing the song nicely.
I like how the vocals are occasionally doubled up – a great technique to maintain interest.
The chorus here is notably catchy. We’ll be singing this one here at Send Me Your Ears all day now! Thanks!!!
Very very clever use of filtered EQ on the drums (top and bottom) to build slowly into the last chorus. This was a really inspired touch.
The stinger ending would make this track great for TV and possible sync deals. Joe should definitely be looking into this if he isn’t already. This is great, commercial Indie stuff that is just the kind of thing to be picked up for TV.
From a production point of view, this is a well constructed track. Personally I’d add a little boost to the top 3 octaves to give the overall track a little more air and brightness and highlight the breathiness in the vocals.
A super-catchy, positive feeling (despite the subject matter of the singer struggling to speak up and communicate). Joe Traxler has most definitely spoken up here, and had us all humming and dancing. Our favourite track today!
We give this song four ears out of five
