She’s In Parties march to the beat of uplifting indie-pop on ‘Fallen’
It’s never worth using music as an alarm clock.
Despite what the movies tell you, songs don’t lift you out of a slumber with a wide-eyed grin and a spring in your step. They’ll often be ruined by the slow and repetitive rise. But we do it anyway, because in there lies the idea that music can soundtrack rejuvenation or the start of a new chapter. While it might not be worth using She’s In Parties’ ‘Fallen’ as an outright alarm clock, it’s certainly worth playing it while opening the curtains.
Because the very first note of ‘Fallen’ is a sonic embodiment of that very ritual. Standing up with your shoulders thrust back, you peel away the darkness to the sound of the song’s uplifting piano melody. Because this song was built in the mindset of revival. A production revival that sees the London based band embrace grand soundscapes and a lyrical revival that pushes back against societal darkness.
The single precedes the band’s forthcoming third EP, Are You Dreaming, which is due to be released on November 7th, via Submarine Cat. As the opener on the tracklist, it’s clearly designed to set a somewhat optimistic precedent, an anthem through which people can use to march forward and push through modernity’s bullshit.
It’s clear that’s the intention, because the song has a very clear and distinct heartbeat through the kick drum which introduces itself brazenly after the tentative and heartfelt opening. This is a crucial arrangement technique adopted by the band, as it acts as somewhat of an arm around the shoulder for lead vocalist Katie Dillon, who sings “Sometimes you’ve said / I’d like to die”.
By the time the drums come in after the introduction, the message is clear. There’s some despondency here but not outright hopelessness and through each turning of the corner, this song fights back against that idea. Or as Dillon more plainly put it, it simply recognises the fact that despite the heavy blows of modern living, “I haven’t got it as bad as other people so get over it basically”.
There’s clearly a self imposed pressure dumped within the lyrical content that would have only compounded with the overfocus of Dillon and her performance. Which is why, stripping her breathy vocals back to the pre-chorus only and then letting the guitar line take her from there in the chorus proves a good idea.
In the first chorus, it feels genuinely uplifting and in sync with the shoegaze-inspired palette of the entire track, but come the last chorus and the swansong of ‘Fallen’, it flirts with the idea of losing itself a touch. Dillon’s voice and the guitar line finally collide in a means of giving this song a warm send off, but it means the refined arrangement that started the whole thing disintegrates ever so slightly.
But generally speaking, this is a warm and welcome blueprint for an EP that promises to embrace grand textures of indie pop.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.