British band, The Underclass, have just released their latest single, Bad Dreams, and we here at the Send Me Your Ears studio have been taking a few listens today. If you’re a fan of indie rock/Britpop then we strongly urge you to stop what you’re doing and take a listen too! You won’t be disappointed.
Bad Dreams starts with a cool stereo synth-like effect before the song comes crashing in. A very powerful start with thunderous drums and a simple melody that is doubled up the second time around to help keep the listener engaged.
When the vocals come in, there’s a slight fuzz on them which helps them cut through perfectly. With some layered vocals and distant reverbs this song has something interesting happening all the time. You can’t help but draw comparisons to Liam Gallagher in the vocals, but there’s more to it than that. The Underclass are no copycats – this is superbly original and energetic stuff!
The whole song has a kind of mid-90s Britpop feel to it, demanding your attention with a real wall of sound from start to finish. The exuberance is infectious. Bad Dreams is like an upbeat wall of sound – a summer anthem that feels truly British.
We love the pre-chorus build that leads into a spectacularly positive feeling chorus with some lovely 16-beat work on the tambourine.
The Underclass are
● Jorge Wilson – Vocalist
● Matt Trevor – Lead Guitarist
● Aaron Smith – Bassist
Adam Badenjiki – Drummer
Together, they are making a spectacular sound and are getting themselves noticed on the Midlands scene. We have no doubt that with tracks like this, and the ambition and drive that they clearly have, we will be hearing a lot more from them. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
From a production perspecitve, to our ears, a hi-pass filter around 35Hz and a couple of small cuts at 70Hz and 125Hz would level out the low end a little. Maybe a boost around 250Hz for extra warmth and fullness.
Bad Dreams is a great track with some superb performances from each band member. Quality songwriting and quality performance. The Underclass were a new name to us today, but we’re looking forward to hearing much more.