Blending Borders – Inner Me (2022)
Blending Borders is giving us the first taste of their upcoming concept album through their single ‘Inner Me’. A snippet in the story of a two-class society where chosen ones are given tickets to enter a marvellous city, the single has you eager to hear the rest of the tale. Mixing various styles together, they infuse the story with a rich combination of progressive rock, jazz and funk.
Oliver Pichler (guitar, vocals), David Kabicher (guitar), Julian Nass (drums) and Felix Holzschuh (bass) join their varied influences to weave the intricate tapestry of their story. Pichler and Kabicher used to be neighbours in a building full of rehearsal rooms in lower Austria, before landing in the same band together. When the drummer left, Nass was pulled in by Kabicher, with Holzschuh rounding out the line-up, after finding them online through an advert.
There is an intimate feeling to the opening of ‘Inner Me’ as the music slowly grows from the silence. The guitars have a slightly dreamy vibe to them in the opening of the verse that leads you into the story of the lyrics. There is a shimmer of sound that brings an awakening and blossoming of something new to the melody. It is a very rich melody that has just the right edge of cinematic vibes to enhance the storytelling feeling of the single. The rock-style guitars and horns that burst through add texture to the melody and drive you forward. You can feel the start of an important journey woven into the melody as each instrument lays a paving stone on the path of the story. As the single progresses, there are these fantastic swings in the melody that showcase the band’s versatility, while enhancing the story. The rock flows of the guitars meet a funkier bounce, while an expansive vibe weaves through the soundscape.
It is not only the melody that is rich and dynamic in its swinging flows as Pichler’s vocals rise to match the movement. Through the opening verse, there is a hand reaching out to an unknown person, packed with a plea to learn who they really are. This feeds into the two-class society of the album’s concept. The almost tentative reaching out through the opening verse flows into an introspection as you consider who you really are. While the lyrics take you on the journey of the album’s story as a whole, there is a much closer tale woven into the single as you travel through self-discovery. As the music swings, the vocals change to match and bring a sense of adventure to the single. It is a stunning dynamic performance that packs a lot into the single, while teasing something much larger.
Blending Borders reaches out with an expansive dynamic touch, only to close in for an introspective journey in the adventurous sounds of ‘Inner Me’. Both the melody and vocals take you on a wonderful journey through the story of their upcoming concept album which is tempered by a personal reflection and journey of self-discovery. It is a delightful taster of what is to come and really leaves you yearning for the rest of the album.
Find out more about Blending Borders on their website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
