The highly prolific band, Snakedoctors, have just released their latest single, B Song and we’ve been taking a listen here at the Send Me Your Ears studio. We previously reviewed this Polish band’s single, Too Many. The band have been incredibly busy since forming in 2020, having already released four albums.
From the moment it starts, the track has an early 80s synth led feel to it. Instrumentally reminding us of the likes of Tears For Fears or Depeche Mode. B Song is an interesting and quirky crossover of early 80s electronica and gothic rock.
Vocally, the male lead reminds us of Tom Waits. There are some touches of Sisters of Mercy. They’re gritty and growly and at times feel more spoken than sung. This suits the dark mood of the track. The female vocal provides higher harmonies in places.
From an arrangement point of view, we would have liked to have seen a little more progression in the track, perhaps some rise and fall , changes in instrumentation, differences in chord progression. Whilst an enjoyable listen, the song remains the same intensity throughout. With that in mind, this may be a good song for a dance club where the focus is on keeping the energy alive and dancing until late into the night.
From a production perspective, a boost around 200Hz would add some warmth and thickness to the track, giving it a fuller sound. The vocal line is being dominated by the single-note synth line. There are a few ways of resolving this. You could use a room reverb to make the synth sound further away from the listener. You could also use the ‘ducking’ technique where the synth drops in volume automatically when the vocal line comes in. A careful EQ cut on the synth could help too and of course a simple volume drop may do the trick
Snakedoctors are clearly having a great deal of fun creating music. Their prolificacy is testament to their passion for getting their music out there and their keenness to hone their craft in the studio. B Song is the fourth release from their latest album, Four and a Half.