100 Watt Shine – The Devil You Don’t Know (2021)
There are some songs that invite listeners to determine what they are about based on their interpretation of the music and lyrics. ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’ by 100 Watt Shine is one of these songs. Awash with country-rock and blues, the single features guitarist Peter Stroud, while leaving the meaning of the music up to each individual listener.
Craig Olsen (vocals), Brian Detmers (guitar), Clint Kennedy (guitar), Miles Hudson (drums) and Scott Walters (bass guitar) came together to form the band around their love of blues and rock. Each an experienced musician who has worked with different bands, they merge their musical skills for this project. Through their sound, you can easily hear the passion and love they have for what they do.
The toe-tapping strum that opens ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’ meets a wash of bluesy tones that is rather decadent in its richness. There is a great swaying flow to the opening tones that gets a little push as the vocals enter. The twang of the guitar has a light touch of country that flows into soaring blues-rock movements. Through all of this, the melody has a seductive darkness to it that pulls you further and further under its spell. The interplay between the forward moving beats, the wonderful guitar lines and bluesy undertones is sheer perfection and will have you utterly enthralled.
As you are pulled under the bluesy spell of the music, Olsen’s vocals is a slightly rough slide against your senses. The dark edges of his performance perfectly match the seductive flows of the music, as the lyrics carry a word of caution. The lyrics are masterfully crafted to allow multiple meanings and stories to be taken from them, depending on your own interpretation. While you can easily take the lyrics at face value as the warning they clearly are, there is much more resting just below the surface waiting for you to find it. These nuanced lyrics are covered in an extremely engaging performance that only becomes more impassioned as the single continues. By the end of the track, you will want to listen to the song again while turning up the volume.
100 Watt Shine uses nuanced lyrics to let you draw your own conclusions over the meaning of ‘The Devil You Don’t Know’, while getting you utterly hooked to their sound. The music has a dark seductive vibe as it combines soaring guitars, toe-tapping bass and blues-rock flows. The vocals have a light growl to them as they draw you into the lyrics.
Find out more about 100 Watt Shine on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
