Songs For Sabotage – Night of Joy (2020)
Living in a big city brings a lot of experiences and emotions. Songs For Sabotage are drawing on their experience in New York City for their album Night of Joy. Through each song on the album, their final year in the city is encapsulated and moulded into a sonic journey. They take you through the cliched rat race to toxic party people and the creeping need to escape the sprawling metropolis.
Lina Sophie and Richey Rose use this album as a showcase of their version of melancholy New York. Using their combination of rock and pop, the band transports you to the moments of each song. If you can’t get enough of the album today, they are performing it live via Instagram livestream on 26 September.
The first track of the album ‘Sabotage’ has this punchy beat with a lighter guitar over it. The beat has your head moving to it before Sophie’s vocals draw you into the song. Rose’s vocals come in later to create a deeper layer compared to Sophie’s performance. The interplay of the vocal performances helps you form two sides of the story set out in the lyrics.
‘Urgency’ has this warping opening that grabs your attention before the beat hooks you. There is a darkness to the melody of this song almost like something terrible is going to happen. The smooth melody gives way to crashing guitars for the chorus. The vocals are primarily provided by Sophie but the chorus does feature both. This creates a layering that works so well with the lyrics and vibes of the track.
The shuffling beats and guitar opening of ‘Fire’ hooks you and does not let you go. Sophie’s vocals have this echo to them that adds a whole new dimension to the song. While there is this echo, her vocals have a depth to them that you can’t help but get lost in. The guitar lines that come and go throughout the song are captivating and add to the almost obsessive vibe of the vocals.
‘Metal’ has an almost soaring feeling to the opening. When Sophie’s vocals hit they ground you even as the guitar line tries to lift you into the atmosphere. There is an airiness to the vocals that create an almost hazy layer to the song. Overall, this is a very atmospheric track that seems to hover over you as you listen to it.
The next track is ‘Drifting’ which has this lightly driving feeling to the opening. The melody is quite interesting as it has all these elements that combine to create the foundation for the vocals. There is this pace to the melody which is slowed by the vocals. Sophie’s vocals are powerful on the chorus as she elevates the story of the song and pulls you up with her.
‘Dust’ hits you with a strange opening that seems to be quite disjointed, but pulls itself together when the vocals hit. All the notes seem to be working independently, but Sophie’s vocals draw them all together to meld into the flowing music of the track. You can still hear each element shining through but they work as a whole. Her vocals are smooth on this song and ease your senses.
The album ends with ‘Cuts You Up’ which is a cover of the Peter Murphy goth classic. The opening leads you to Sophie’s vocals while the beat has you shimmying to the rhythm. There is something fun about this song and you can easily listen to it on repeat. Their version of this song is infectious and you will not be able to get enough of it.
Songs for Sabotage take you through the emotions and experiences of living in a big city with their album Night of Joy. While there is a melancholic thread in the album, each song has this infectious vibe that you can’t help but fall into.
Find out more about Songs for Sabotage on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
