Route 500 – Not Today (2022)
If you enjoy the work of artists like Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, Big Thief and Cat Power, the chances are you will love Route 500. Hailing from Brighton, England, the UK-based group merge elements of alternative rock, indie-rock and grunge with tinges of lo-fi. Blasting onto the scene in 2020 with their debut single ‘A Horizon Awaits’, Route 500 has been turning heads for the past two years. Featured on Sinusoidal Music, Less Than 1000 Followers and several playlists, the group is slowly building a strong following. The latest addition to their repertoire is ‘Not Today’.
Following their track ‘Cartoon’, Route 500 adopts a more stripped-back, stark sound in ‘Not Today’. Using a DIY approach, the self-produced is entirely independent and this is almost represented in the bare-bones quality of this track. Setting you adrift on a sonic river glistening with bright lights, you can feel an otherworldliness to its simplicity; however, while there is a minimalist soundscape, ‘Not Today’ retains a complex profoundness in both melody and lyricism.
Opening with a simple grunge-esque design, ‘Not Today’ introduces, as I mentioned, a simplistic haziness. Yet, the innovativeness of Route 500 can be noted with the blast of guitars later in the single. The strong guitar riffs bring a rock vibe that flows harmonically with its lo-fi arrangement.
Not ones to shy away from controversial topics, Route 500 explore modern-day life in its entirety from dystopian dissociative states to anxiety-ridden frustration. ‘Not Today’ touches on inner turmoil, anxiety and complete disregard for one’s world. Route 500 explain that ‘Not Today’ looks at “…the moments you don’t want to engage with the world, creating any menial distraction to steer clear of your own mind, drifting through numbness, wanting to be left well alone and for time to simply pass.” Intriguing, sentimental and truly something completely unique, Route 500 hypnotises with its eclectic obscurity.
For more from Route 500 check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
