Day – Mama (2020)
In the year of our Lord 2020, it’s a near-universal truth that most of the groups who label themselves ‘indie’ fall into one of two categories.
The first is ‘Arctic Monkeys’. The second? Beiger-than-beige folky nonsense – a two-minute track, most likely popularised by an Ikea advert, with at least three vocalists and the occasional ‘Hey!’ thrown in. Luckily, this isn’t always the case. With their debut single ‘Mama’, UK-based trio Day let us in on a little secret: there’s still some spark left in North London’s old indie scene.
In this tribute to the existential search for meaning, Day find themselves floating towards the realm of prog and art-rock; after all, what could be more prog than existentialism? As with many of the finest prog-rock tracks, the scene is set with a comforting echo of reverberating synths. Alex Barty-King’s vocals, which go on to lead the thrumming guitar in a defiant drawl, possess all of the soothing qualities of a Meddle era David Gilmour without losing their rock-arena appeal.
The highlight of the track, though, is a shrill saxophone that bobs and weaves throughout its five-minute duration. It’s a thrilling, yet invasive tone that lends the track a strange sense of urgency. Could this be the cry of the Earth warning us to take heed of our actions? The deafening inner monologue of an angst-ridden truth-seeker? Or is it simply the siren call of Mother Nature herself?
Whatever the source, we dig it. Plus, with the news that Day will be releasing a concept EP – simply entitled RUN – in the not-too-distant future, we’re expecting pretty big things from this trio.
If all this sounds right up your street, ‘Mama’ is available to stream on Spotify now. You can also follow Day on their Facebook.
