Speak Easy Circus – Company of Men (2021)
There are a lot of outdated ideas about gender roles that cause a lot of problems in the world. Speak Easy Circus is attempting to break these outdated ideas down through the electrifying sounds of ‘Company of Men’. Focusing on the ideas surrounding masculinity and how ‘real’ men act, the band looks to understand and break the influence of these ideas and help us move onto healthier understandings.
This look at traditional masculinity comes from Jack Avison (vocals, guitar), Jon Wallace (saxophone), Chatonda Ridley (bass), Frazer Laurie (drums) and Fenwick Lawson (trombone). While they all come from different musical backgrounds, they merge their styles and influences for a funky fusion of rock, punk and soul.
‘Company of Men’ thrums into your sense with a really deep groove to the melody. There is a soulful vibe to the music that wraps its tendrils around your chest. This soulful vibe gets a boost as the single continues. The deep bass continues to thrum through your chest while the rippling wash of guitar lines and rising horns bring a lightness to the track. You can feel that there is a depth to the song and you should be paying attention to the vocals. However, the music is really captivating with the combination of instrumentation. As the song progresses, you get a really funky feeling to the melody that is highlighted by the vocals.
Avison’s vocals carefully approach the topic of the track with a smooth whiskey tone. Through the opening verse, he shines a light on little experiences in life that ingrain the ideas of masculinity. This is very delicately handled while being quite hard-hitting. While bringing these moments to light, the band takes a positive turn with gentle options of things that can be done differently. The vocal performance is wonderful as it threads its way between the instrumentation allowing the music to enhance the emotive hit it brings.
Speak Easy Circus tackles traditional ideas of masculinity while offering some positive vibes for the future in ‘Company of Men’. There is a groovy feeling to the music that sinks into your soul while turning your attention to the vocals. The vocal performance is wonderfully woven between the instrumentation to brings the emotional hit home.
Find out more about Speak Easy Circus on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
