The new single, Dear Friends, by Jon Sandman is a lyrical testament to the burnout that many of us are feeling right now. Dear Friends is an apology to friends and loved ones with whom we’ve not made the effort to keep in touch through the pandemic. Its an explanation of how much we may be missing our friends, but we are, nonetheless, overwhelmed right now.
A very evocative and relatable subject matter that needs to be expressed.
At almost 5 minutes long, this song is unlikely to be a candidate for commercial air play. Nevertheless, it is one which is captivating and likely to do well on specialist scenes such as classic rock or prog rock internet radio, BBC Introducing and most definitely BBC Oxford who have a great team of professional presenters.
The song is an interesting amalgamation of electronic and acoustic instrumentation with cavernous electric drums – the kick drum on this track is just huge! The cavernous reverb works especially well on the snare and makes the listener feel almost as though they are listening to a stadium band.
When the vocals come in, they are close and very up front. Some lush harmonies and interesting chord sequences and changes help to maintain the listeners interest.
I’m impressed at how the song has been put together with differing rhythmic patterns and instruments rising and falling to keep the listener involved.
The stadium sounding reverb sits on all of the instrumentation but not so much on the vocal track. To me, it feels almost as if I am listening to a band who are all playing at the back of a church, whilst the vocalist is right in front of me. For my ears, I’d consider varying the amount of reverb on each track to place the instruments more naturally in the room and to help get a little more separation between instruments.
A unique sort of stinger ending to this track. It kind of just stops. In the same way that one does when they’re looking for a break from social commitments. If this was the intention, then I like it. It makes me feel for the vocalist.
My personal perspective on the production, aside from the reverb would be to suggest a little EQ dip in the 8-9kHz region to avoid too much sibilance in the vocal track and a there’s an effect on the vocal track that is a little dominant in the 4-7kHz area. A little EQ notching will help to make the song sit a little better in the listeners ears in my opinion and help give a little clarity.
I’m liking Dear Friends by Jon Sandman. Its a passionate and heartfelt plea to friends to be patient and understand, as well as being a well performed, almost classic rock feeling track with a modern twist.