In our ears today at the Send Me Your Ears studio we have We Are Makers, with their latest single, Killin’ It. We Are Makers, is the project of Chelsea and Ryan Maker.
Immediately grabbing our attention with an intro that feels like it just keeps on building, Killin’ it is a great anthem of positivity; a reminder that self improvement and self empowerment is a constant battle and that sometimes, at our very worst times, we may actually be “killin’ it”.
The introduction had us all nodding our heads slowly, with lots of great stereo drums and a gorgeous chorus of choir like vocals that built fantastically into the main song.
The layered vocals throughout add a nice character the song and make the vocal track feel thick and full.
There’s some really good use of stops to build tension and add interest. One of particular note is the lo-fi feeling breakdown which feels so intimate that it’s almost as if the vocalist is whispering right into your ear that you’re absolutely “Killin It” and that you’re doing fine as you are. This intimate section builds and builds until there’s a thoroughly exhilarating and dynamic, almost anthemic build to a stinger ending.
The feel of this track is kind of a mixture of garage rock, with a touch of glam rock. There’s a uniqueness to it that somehow manages to give hints of nostalgia to a track which, in your mind, you know is brand new but still somehow manages to feel as if you’ve known it for years. A real hallmark of a great track.
The numerous different sections and the rise and fall all come together to make this a highly enjoyable listen. There’s always something happening and at no point do you find your mind wandering. This track is all consuming.
From a production perspective, We Are Makers have done a great job. To our ears, a few tiny suggestions, but really, it’s very well done indeed. We suggest a little boost around 55Hz to give more thump to the low end drums. A wide boost centred around 1kHz for some more meat and fullness, a cut in the guitars around 2-2.5kHz to counter a slightly harsh dominance in the guitars and a top octave boost for brightness and to bring that lovely distant tambourine more into the mix. Again, these are tiny, if at all, suggestions. This truly is a great track.
We Are Makers have produced an electrifying genre crossing glam/garage rock track which has all the elements needed for one hell of a hit song. We wish them well and hope to hear much more from them in the future.