Cooked Sushi – Stained (2021)
Breaking a bad habit can be very hard particularly when temptation strikes and has you craving the habit. Cooked Sushi is using a catchy pop sound to tackle these moments when you wonder if once more would really be that bad in ‘Stained’. The infinitely relatable single touches on moments that most people are ashamed to admit to while letting us all know that we are not alone in feeling them.
While Cooked Sushi used to be a duo, the band is down to one member Carson Arnaiz. This is the first single with only one member with Arnaiz writing, creating and mastering the track on his own. With some distorted guitars and crunching drums, the single builds through the soundscape to fill you with the sense that it is bursting at the seams.
The distorted guitars in the opening of ‘Stained’ grab your attention before you are led to the toe-tapping beats. There is a crunch to the drums as they bounce the guitars over them. The two lines come together for a really wonderful melodic movement that you might not expect listening to them on their own. The arrangement has a building feeling that is rather subtle which works perfectly with the story of the single. While subtle, the build-up does lead you to feel like the music is pushing against a container that is too small.
Resting over the melody are the vocals that have a rather catchy movement to them. You can easily find yourself singing along to the track before you finish listening to it the first time. The vocals have an electronic edge to them that puts a little distance between the melody and the vocal line. This is an interesting sonic device that enhances the vibe of the music as you struggle against giving into a bad habit. The chorus has a pleading edge as he calls for help to overcome the temptation that is pulling at him.
With distorted guitars, catchy vocals and an electronic edge, Cooked Sushi plead for help with the struggle of falling back into bad habits in ‘Stained’. The subtle building of the melody is like that itch that comes with the temptation of a bad habit while the vocals capture the turbulent emotions of the moment. The lyrics are catchy with the vocals bolstering this to the point where you are going to be singing along.
Find out more about Cooked Sushi on his Instagram and Spotify.
