Over the past 2 years I’ve fallen in love with several bands out of the UK. While most of these bands sound nothing alike, their sound is also different from most of the bands out of the US. They tend to blend influences and experiment with more unique sounds. Whether it’s Bob Vylan, Common Sense Kid, Andy B & The World, Roshambo, Faintest Idea, or Riskee and the Ridicule, or even some of the more indie pop bands like Supersaurus, the music coming out of the UK right now has me amped. Today, a new band adds to that growing list.
Underneath the Lookout is the new project blending two of the previously mentioned bands as Craig from Common Sense Kid (solo performer) and Suzy- they keys from Andy B & The World (and more) have teamed up. This single is a fusion of reggae and dub music with some hints of ska. While Craig handles the lead vocals on this track, Suzy’s harmonies are definitely a key component and the texture of the two voices together would probably be the defining signature sound for the track. Interestingly, Craig says that Suzy wrote the lyrics for this track, and Suzy does the lead vocals on another track that is being finished right now. With shared vocal duties between masc and femme voices, this band has a wide range of options to make every song feel just right.
The song does an amazing job playing with textures throughout the track. The dub and reggae rhythms dominate the track, and the keys and synth sounds are exactly what you’d expect from a collab featuring two premier keyboardists. Nice slow beats with smooth vocals about surviving mental health trauma while interesting hooks and other flairs cross the soundscape. Even though this track was written primarily by Suzy, it feels like an appropriate evolution for Common Sense Kid’s previous work, which is high-praise since his debut album is one of my favorite albums from the past few years. With this first song on the books, and another soon on its way, I have little doubt that Underneath The Lookout will continue to bless us with their creative endeavors and continue pulling at the fringes of what ska sounds like in ways that make my heart happy.
Written by Gimpleg