Adam Brookes – Different Times (2022)
Using a more refined and minimal tone, Adam Brookes reflects on changing times and how this affects what we treasure in our lives. The aptly titled ‘Different Times’ sees him questioning what he might have to lose now that times have changed. Using lyrics that bring his grappling with the questions he asks to light, he brings a blend of catchy pop and nostalgic rock to the single.
This single is quite different to the music many connect Brookes with from his pop-rock band Dangermaker. The band was formed after several short-lived projects and quickly moved from a pastime to a full obsession. With his solo work, he is bringing something new to our ears for a deeper and more refined questioning of the world and our place in it.
‘Different Times’ uses a progressively building opening that leads you to some slightly funky tones. There is a slight retro edge to the music that has you bopping around to it and just having a good time. The warble of tones meets the shuffle of the beats and the twang of the bass. While there is a rather good vibe to the melody, there is something that creeps out from the low levels to swirl around you and make you question things. It is a really artful blending of emotions that subtly make their way through the soundscape and tap your shoulder to get your attention. Through all of this, that funky touch remains and doesn’t let you stop bopping to the rhythm.
While you are bopping away to the good vibes of the music, Brookes’ vocals draw you into a spiral of existential questioning. This is delightfully at odds with the music which somehow makes it even more enjoyable to listen to. Through his performance, he has you considering how life is passing us all by and how you can’t turn back time. There is a feeling of needing to accept this passage of time and the changes that come with it. While he brings a touch of acceptance, he tempers it with the crisis many feel as they age and have to move on from the present. This crisis is packed with not knowing where you now belong and trying to find the place you fit into.
Adam Brookes balances good vibes, funky melodics and the existential crisis that comes with the passage of time in ‘Different Times’. The melody has a retro edge and funky undertones that get you bopping to some great vibes. His vocals bring the crisis of time passing us by and the question of where we fit in as we age.
Find out more about Adam Brookes on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
