Crystal clear production and smooth synths meet with scene-by-scene storytelling to set an intimate yet energising mood for the brand new single 'KILLTIME' from Florida's Brightside.
What begins as a likable electro pop beauty, soon evolves into a boldly uplifting, powerful alternative pop hit - one with a simple yet satisfying hook melody, and an overall style that's been pristinely crafted.
'KILLTIME' actually seems to change lanes a couple of times throughout its life span. Where the opening moments lead with a certain intimate delicacy, the pre-chorus quickly draws you in with its anthem-like simplicity and the descending nature of its tune, then the hook and subsequent instrumental sees these multiple layers of brightness and movement intertwine and collide.
The resulting piece feels almost AWOLNATION-like, but still holds close to that Brightside softness and soul that is so recognizable in their sound.
"They're always a band worth pressing play for, but in this case they've excelled themselves."
We thought the band would be great to include as part of our Get To Know series...
Hello and welcome to The Lowdown! How are you guys doing?
"We are doing great! It’s always fun right after a release watching people’s reaction to a new song, so we are enjoying that."
Introduce the band and tell us a fun fact about you!
"So there are 5 of us: Connor, Jake, Cory, Dillon, and Will. A fun fact is our Moms are our biggest fans."
Where are you from?
"We were all raised in Tallahassee, Florida, USA."
How did you meet each other?
"We met each other through being in different bands growing up and playing shows with each other."
How long have you been making music together?
"We have been making music together for a LONG TIME. But in different groups, so Dillon and Jake made music for a while and Connor and Will made music separately, but we formed as Brightside in 2014."
What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not making music?
"That’s a little different for everybody, but our favorite thing to do as a group when not making music is probably playing the video game super smash brothers together or debating pointless things like if a hotdog is a sandwich."
Are there any artists who have influenced your sound or inspire you?
"Oh Yeah, tons. I think part of what makes us unique is that all of us take part in the writing process and have very different influences, so you’ll hear some parts that could be heavily influenced by someone like The Weeknd but seconds later something influenced by The 1975 or even Queen."
What would be your dream venue or festival to play?
"Madison Square Garden would be pretty cool also would love to play some historic venues in Europe. We have yet to tour over there."
What are your 5 touring essentials?
"Chicken Nuggets, phone charger, headphones, dry shampoo, deodorant."
You released your new single ‘KILLTIME’ last month! Tell us a bit about it!
"'KILLTIME' is heavily inspired by LA. We sat down and started writing lyrics about this idea of someone that you meet up to hook up with but for both people it’s just a way to kill time. Like a comfort you keep going back to but have no attachments or desire to stay with hence the line “but I ain’t leaving here without my sweater.”"
How has the reaction been so far?
"The reaction has been awesome! Our fans are too nice to us and have shared it and helped it to have a ton of success. We hope that each new song will be everyone’s new favourite!"
For those who haven’t listened yet, how would you sum the track up in one sentence?
"Alt-Pop hands-out-the-window driving music."
Finally, what have you got planned for the rest of this year?
"Coronavirus has made it so we can’t tour right now, but the good news from that is that means more music getting released. So people have more new songs to look forward to."
Listen to 'KILLTIME' HERE Instagram: @officialbrightside