Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from LA (US) based band, Swedish Knightingales. Never See Her Again is released today, 17th March 2023, and if you’re searching for a cool new country/bluegrass/rock crossover, we strongly urge you to add this track to your playlist.
Never See Her Again is a song about forbidden attraction and its fleeting nature. It is also about how that forbidden love fell apart. Beginning with a beautifully recorded and expertly played acoustic guitar, further instruments join the mix until, very quickly, you’re hearing a full band country rock feeling song worthy of comparisons to Bon Jovi. Never See Her Again grabs your attention immediately and engages the listener.
Swedish Knightingales are;
Witewolf – Vocals, Guitar
Sean ‘Yard Dog’ Smith – Guitar
Kenny Lockwood – Bass
Felipe Restrepo – Drums
When the vocals come in, there are touches of Jon Bon Jovi and a little hint of the rawness of David Coverdale (in his heyday). The instrumentation drops back for the start of the first verse, giving the listener a chance to really zone in on Witewolf’s vocals. The song builds back up as the instrumentation creeps back in, including some perfectly placed keys work by the legendary Derek Sherinian. We’re huge fans of Sherinian here at the Send Me Your Ears studio, and it was his involvement in this track that piqued our interest initially. We’re so glad we listened to Never See Her Again; based on this stellar recommendation, this truly is a catchy and exciting track.
Everything about Never See Her Again is catchy and engaging. The rise and fall within the track make for a truly dynamic soundscape that grabs the listeners’ attention from start to finish. We love the layered vocals in the choruses, and the Allman Brothers feel to the whole track puts it high on our “must listen” list.
The guitar solo is perfectly placed, with just the right tone and some lovely stabs leading out of it. We also particularly liked how the quality guitar picking gave the song a 16-beat feel while the drums remain true and simple to a 4/4 beat.
Ending on a flourish on guitars, this track is a blinding display of musicianship and expert songwriting craftsmanship.
Ideas from our ears
A cut around 65Hz would reduce a slightly ‘boomy’ peak in the bass. A cut around 1.5kHz could reduce some occasional ‘nasal’ and ‘tinny’ tones. A wide boost centred around 9kHz with maybe even an additional high shelf boost in the top octave for some extra brightness and presence. Finally, a light compressor/limiter with maybe 3dB of make-up gain for some added thickness and volume. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
The Swedish Nightingales have our attention! For fans of Allman Brothers, Bon Jovi, and country/soft rock. Classy and catchy and highly recommended.
https://Twitter.com/sknightingales
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Ee3m0CQPJXM2MeGGv2bxC?si=weNx-xLIQki7h0n3GBv7gQ
https://youtube.com/@swedishknightingales6349
https://instagram.com/swedishknightingales?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=