Memorable bass, opposing perspectives and one incredibly wiry guitar riff.
Endings famously carry a choice. Sitting among the wreckage, attempting to make the world stop around you, or coming to an acceptance that this ending is forcing you into becoming someone else. ‘End Of The Line’, the latest single from Southampton’s Plastersun, fill that gap between collapse and new beginnings.
Every note and every instrument feels like they’re adding weight to a dull feeling of an already tired head. The bass serves as the perfect anchor for the single. It’s not overshadowed by the wall of guitars that cross and entwine in its path, but adds a catchy bounce from the off and throughout.
Opening with a memorable and purposeful bassline, this track wastes no time establishing itself. Rather than disappearing behind the guitars however, this remains a constant presence throughout, driving the song with a sense of familiar direction even when everything around it erupts into chaos.
The dual guitars work in tandem throughout the hit. One cuts through the mix in a wiry, abrasive manner, whilst the other remains steady and rhythmic. It serves its purpose building tension in all the right places, helping the track to move forward.
The percussion leans into handclap style rhythms and a heavy kick drum to provide a motoring pulse. Vocally, frontman Fergus McLean provides a spoken word quality that recalls kitchen-sink realism. Rather than reaching for a soaring melody, he trusts the words ability to carry a weight of emotion.
What makes the chorus’s standout isn’t the volume they’re delivered with, but actually the restraint that comes before it. This contrast provides far more impact than a constant impact.
This authenticity makes perfect sense when you discover the song draws on countless stories heard whilst working behind a bar. The opposing narratives explore the wreckage left behind by fracturing relationships, exposing ego’s, selfishness and the search for a new identity that follows the events.
‘End Of The Line’ doesn’t remain in darkness however, there’s an ongoing glimpse of quiet optimism. A sense of breaking free of being who you were before someone defined you, and reclaiming/rediscovering yourself.
The band consists of Fergus McLean (Vocals), Valentine Longo (Bass and vocals), Rai Owen (Drums), Stephen Baker (Guitar) and Oliver White (Guitar).
Recorded in The New Forest and produced by Phil Wilks, every instrument occupies its own space in the mix, whilst maintaining enough grit to resonate with the realism it basks in.
Plastersun have recently found their beginning in London, vacating Southampton, and this new single epitomises their intent in the move. There’s a little treat in store for fans and listeners too, as the new single is paired in a dual release with the soulful ballad demo ‘Far Away’.
‘End Of The Line’ simply captures that uncomfortable space between holding on and letting go. In doing so, Plastersun continue proving that their greatest strength isn’t volume. It’s actually knowing exactly when to let silence, tension and melody do the talking.
Written by Brad Halcrow for The Songbird HQ