Rowan Bailey is back with a brand new single! "Make It Last", for their next album "Wake Up Call". It's a fairly modest length track at only 3 minutes, and without any B-side. So, I came out pretty surprised when it unleashed a lot more thoughts that I was expecting going in with a 3 minute hardbass track.
As any hardbass track should be, this song is just fun! It's got heavy, driving beats for the whole track length and that instantly recognizable "donk" synth line that permeates the genre. Rowan took extra stress to point out the video game inspirations in his promos for the single and upcoming album. If you've ever listened to the Hotline Miami soundtrack none of this will come as a particularly shocking revelation. Though I will note that hardbass is a fun spin on a video game landscape that usually emphasizes synth/retro/enter-here-wave, it's a nice change of pace and brings with it the assertion that Rowan won't just be going the obvious route with the upcoming album.
Marching lyrics like "You come to my house / Chest out with your guns now / You take out my guys / Think I'm gonna stand by" couldn't really make the Hotline Miami connection any clearer. It is pretty funny, however, to have these somewhat hard-boiled lyrics juxtaposed to the iconic "CHEEKI BREEKI!!" line occasionally popping up over the course of the song. At least in my opinion, hardbass is not a genre to get too serious about. So, I think it was a good inclusion to help bring some levity and humor into fairly sonically heavy song.
My only gripe comes in the form of the mix. I feel like Rowan could have pushed the grunt of the guitar, or the distortion of the vocals a little bit further. It feels professional, but in that sense it's lacking the punch that matches the rebellious look of the album art. If I'm listening to music with the cover of a hyena soaked in blood holding a bat, I kinda expect to get punched in the face. But, the song doesn't quite do that, it feels like there are cards it hasn't laid out on the table.
However, there's still a lot to chew on even from a production standpoint for such a short track. The growling guitars layered with the sharp, aggressive lead synth battling for control over the progression throughout the course of the track feels great, almost gladiatorial. I do also really enjoy how the bass line and drums interact, constantly switching between the straight 4/4 march and a triplet right and the end of each refrain, unsteady at every moment on the dance floor. On each listen I glean a couple more details I didn't notice before, and that for me is a mark of a great producer.
As a side note, I love when artists add the instrumental to their single releases. Beyond simply giving us as listeners another way to enjoy the track, it allows us to refocus our attention to the instrumentation. In this case, the character of the track feels quite different. You can definitely feel the song's soundtracking intentions without the lyric driving overhead. It would feel right at home duking it out in a Miami club.
Make It Last leaves a great impression as a first preview at his upcoming album. It's taking its video game inspirations and adding a unique flavor and style I really love. Rowan's next full album "Wake Up Call" will be releasing September 4th. Give it listen on their Bandcamp! I'll be patiently waiting for the release!