Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
In their latest single, titled “This is It,” poetic pop crew Neon Dreams deliver a stunningly brawny ballad that shows us a slightly different side of their sound than the one presented to us in their last couple of widely-released songs. Right from the jump, there’s something labored in the emotionality of both the lyrics and the music in “This is It.” There’s an exposed nuance to the narrative that finds the verses intertwining with the beats and melodic charms that comprise the very core of the music, and while I wouldn’t go as far as to describe this as progressive pop, there’s a conceptualism to the design that I can’t help but notice. Neon Dreams are new kids on the block, but they’re playing like old souls here.
The vocals are more prominent in the mix than they were in previous cuts, but considering the charisma that they afford both the music and the lyrics they convey, it’s difficult for me to understand why they weren’t as emphasized as they are here in the past. “This is It” has a lot of moments that give our singer plenty of room to unleash everything he’s got on the audience, and though highly disciplined in his execution, he doesn’t hold back from clueing us in to just how passionate he is in his statements. There’s not a single element in this track that’s powerful enough to get in the vocal’s way, which is the primary reason why this feels more like a crossover than it does straight pop.
One of the first things that made me interested in Neon Dreams was their obvious chemistry, as it’s easy for even the most novice of music critics to pick up on the human commonalities that exist between the players in this band. You can tell that each of these guys has a lot of personalities to bring into the equation, and it’s those very personalities that wind up directing the flow of the instrumentation and the moodiness that it imparts to the listener. For being such a simple song on paper, “This is It” boasts a complex aesthetical structure that doesn’t allow us to simply brand it another pop song and move on to the next track in the playlist.
You don’t have to be a big fan to appreciate what Neon Dreams are doing with their work at the moment, but if you have a genuine affinity for what melodic music can produce in moments more emotional than the status quo would typically call for, “This is It” is a gem you just can’t miss out on. There’s not a lot of wallop in the instrumentation, and rockers would be best to look elsewhere for chest-beating aggression issued at lightning speeds; this single is for those who want pop with some real feeling to it. This duo has my attention for certain, and soon enough, I think they’re going to have that of the larger music community in the underground and beyond a lot sooner than some might be expecting.
Babette Cook
