Track of the Day: The Graft – Birkenstock
Known for the energetic music and incomparable swagger, UK-based group The Graft fuse old-school Britpop and indie-punk with modern-day indie-rock. Writing and performing for approximately six years (give or take), the lads are a representation of sophisticated originality in 2022. Originally meeting as work colleagues at a primary school, the foursome has seasoned life wisdom, but their music is a blast out of the everyday grind. The latest addition to the discography is the single ‘Birkenstock’.
Following their debut track ‘Jenny’ (or at least their debut track on Spotify), The Graft fuse the sounds of The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, and Babyshambles in ‘Birkenstock’. I hear tinges of old-school indie-rock slathered with a layer of punk in the well-textured track. Easily one to be played at sold-out arenas, and a song I’d love to see live, the melodic arrangement gives prominence to pounding drums, dynamic guitars and frontman Peter’s rich vocals.
While I love the brash boldness of The Graft, the sentimentality behind the lyrics adds tenderness to ‘Birkenstock’. Recorded with producer Rob Wilkes at 123 Studios, ‘Birkenstock’ has a melancholic nostalgia within the kaleidoscopic soundscape. You feel a sense of haziness, but this is a mere reflection of the despair hidden in the sonic tapestry. The Graft explains that ‘Birkenstock’ is “about a relationship that involved moving to Scandinavia in search of a sandal-wearing love. The relationship was perfect when the midnight sun warmed their hearts. Unfortunately, as winter set in the relationship broke down, which leads him to pick himself up to front the hardest grafting in the world.”
Lacing the abrupt almost palpably gritty melody with a heartfelt tenderness, The Graft weave sincere sentimentality and brutal honesty in their latest single. If this is anything to go by, I cannot wait for more from this band.
For more from The Graft check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
