Keeping it simple, stupid

Taking a bit of a departure from the overarching theme of their Who Needs You EP, The Orwells replace frenetic punk energy with more deliberate grunge pacing on their new single. Shuffling along like only they can shuffle, the verses of “The Righteous One‰” are pretty simple; all about “smoke in the air‰” and “letting down your hair,‰” and the kind of dumb but not stupid word association that made a star of out Kurt Cobain. This all happens before the band loads up for and fires for a rocker of a chorus, where the singer proclaims he still doesn‰’t known where he‰’s going, and this proceeds in more or less the same manner for the rest of the single, save for an understated but effective guitar solo and a feedback freakout outro. If anything‰’s changed about the group, its that their production aesthetic has moved further away from lo-fi into a richer, slightly more atmospheric aesthetic, featuring guitar picks being dragged against strings to create an almost psychedelic effect. All in all, though, “The Righteous One‰” is more or less what you‰’ve come to expect from the Orwells, pure rock and roll attitude and excitement that doesn‰’t care who‰’s watching.

RIYL: JEFF the Brotherhood, Nirvana, King Tuff