Norwich (UK) based band, The Magic Es have recently released their single, Gone, and we’ve had the pleasure of taking a few listens here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today.
For fans of Britpop, this is a track for you.
Gone is the lead single from the band’s forthcoming EP, Talk In Tongues, due for release in December 2022. It is the tale of the passing of friends that you used to be close to. It’s about wishing you’d been there to be of support during their difficult times and that uncomfortable realisation that you were too wrapped up in your own life to give them the time they needed.
Gone fades in gently with a synth/pad sound before the lead vocals come in with a reverse cymbal before the full band sound comes in.
We love how the drums have a real live feel to them. They’re clear and present and really drive the song. This Britpop feeling track really had us all nodding our heads in appreciation!
The development, as well as the rise and fall, is well executed. There are moments where everything stops but a little drum fill, and other moments where the bassist is given the opportunity to shine centre stage with some lovely fills. The song drops nicely at one point to a verse of simple strums on the electric guitar before building back up to that super-catchy chorus again.
For us, it’s the vocals that really stand out in this track. Lead vocalist Pete Thompson has a great timbre to his voice that really fits the song. We were reminded just a touch of Mike Scott (Waterboys) – but without the Irish accent! Thompson’s vocals are clear and confident and with just enough edge to really carry the mood. The backing vocals in the choruses work perfectly and help to point the listener to the most important message of the song.
Close to the end of the track you can hear a swirly, chorus-like guitar solo that is a great touch for the song. Nothing too complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. It builds perfectly back into the chorus (that we’re now singing along to)!
From a production perspective, we felt that a slight cut around 50Hz would make the low end of the kick drum a little clearer by slightly reducing the boom. A wide boost centred around 125Hz would give some extra warmth to the low end and bring the bass guitar in a little more as well. A slight cut around 750Hz would reduce the occasional ‘honky’ tone in the vocal track. A wider boost centred around 3kHz would add some edge and definition and fill out the sound a little more. A slight dip around 8kHz would reduce the occasional sibilant sounds in the vocal track. The drums sound great but to our ears a limiter on the main drum track would allow the other instruments a little more room and make the drums seem less dominant in the mix.
The Magic Es have created an exciting, live feeling Britpop/Indie rock track with a catchy hook and an almost timeless Oasis feel. This Norwich band are heading out on the road and judging by the number of bookings and airplay, they are clearly starting to make a name for themselves on the British Music Scene.