Is It Time for a New Blank Labels Single?
Wichita Falls rock quartet returns with "Vague," their first streaming release in 8 years
Anticipation builds from the opening notes of the new Blank Labels single, “Vague.” The intro comes from an organ part supplied by Ian Clark (the fifth Blank Label), augmented a few bars later by a tribal beat from drummer Mike Hardison, then joined by an urgent guitar line as the volume rises. It’s enough to make the listener wonder what is about to happen?
Then, a cannon shot on the snare drum, and Bryson Lawrence breaks in with his opening lyrics
It’s the things you say, that make me stay
Yeah you put your words together in a certain way
With gusto, lead guitarist Angel Perez and bassist Mackey Divine add bombast and we’re off-and running with the group’s first streaming release in nearly 8 years.
Students of rock music will hear a little of everything on the track, co-produced by Hardison and Lawrence. From a Deep-Purple-esque organ sound to Neal Schon-style guitar leads.
Lawrence says the inspiration for Vague came in lyrical form first. “The lyrics really came first. It started to revolve around the idea of being drawn to people and songs that don’t really spell it out for you — you have to work to find meaning in what is being said. Those are really the songs that I enjoy.”
In the production process, Hardison asked himself questions. “Drums. Where are they going?” Hardison drew inspiration in abstraction. “Distant vocals. Distant key parts. Anticipation,” he told me. The track was recorded at Fort Worth Sound with Bart Rose and mixed and mastered by Linus of Hollywood. The song was co-produced by Hardison and Lawrence, and in the tradition of legendary bands of the past, Vague explores all the sonic planes, from busy verses and choruses to a subdued, atmospheric breakdown, which then builds back to an explosion. The structure of the song mimics the lyrics in the chorus.
You’re so vague, but that’s okay.
It’s poetry when you meet me on a higher plane.
Despite paying homage to the greatest rock bands of the seventies and eighties, Blank Labels’ youth shines through on Vague, leaving listeners with aural impressions of indie rock, emo and post-punk revival groups like The Killers, Panic! At The Disco, and The Hives.
Take a listen to Vague, add it to a rock playlist, and make sure you follow Blank Labels on your favorite streaming platform [Spotify | Apple Music], because they have a number of other releases coming in 2024.
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