Nashville (US) based band, Sour Taffy, have just released their debut single, Witch Doctor, and we here at the Send Me Your Ears studio have been taking a few listens this morning.
Witch Doctor is a song about an individual that is stuck with going through the motions and drag of life and is looking for something more (whether good or bad). They’re looking for a fix, a purpose, a lover, or whatever it may be to make life more interesting.
We like the slight reggae feel that the drums and the organs give to this track. The choked hi-hat is a nice touch on the jazzy feeling stops which happen throughout the song and add a great deal of interest. It’s a great display of how tight the band are when you hear the choked hi-hat, bass and guitar perfectly in time with each other.
A calming and gentle guitar solo melts away your troubles, giving it a slightly Doors-like chilled-out feel.
The vocals in Witch Doctor are clear and upfront and easy to distinguish each lyric easily. Reminding us at times of Jamie Cullum, during the more gentle sections and of Johnny Lang when he gives a bit more power, this is an emotive performance.
At around 2 minutes 30, there’s a lovely psychedelic and trippy feeling breakdown, reminiscent of The Specials track, Ghost Town. The sections in this track are separated well and the arrangement of this song has clearly been given a great deal of consideration.
The track ends on a stinger and (we think!) someone saying “sweet”. This is a track to put on after a bad day at work to melt your worries away.
Special mention must go to the accompanying video for Witch Doctor. Clearly, the band have not missed anything when it comes to ensuring that this track gets the attention it deserves. It’s a great video that has a really psychedelic 70s feel that the Doors would have been proud of!
From a production perspective, we felt that a hi-pass at 40Hz followed by a small boost at 70Hz and a small cut around 100Hz would make the kick drum even punchier and full sounding. A boost around 10kHz for some extra brightness too maybe but basically this song sounds great already! Every instrument is played with skill and subtlety and everyone fits into the mix with ease. Finally, a light compressor/limiter with maybe 3dB of make up gain would add to the warmth and bring the overall volume up a little too.
Witch Doctor is an exciting and extremely promising debut track from a band who hold a great deal of promise. Sour Taffy have launched straight to the top of our “ones to watch” list.