REVIEW: Slammin’ Gladys — Hold Up My Blue Sky (SINGLE)
Vocal-driven rock is back in demand, and Slammin’ Gladys appear to have the right sound to satisfy the call in their new single “Hold Up My Blue Sky.” Ripping through a casual groove with a soaring lead singer’s verse, “Hold Up My Blue Sky” sees Slammin’ Gladys sounding more like a veteran rock outfit than a band only on their second studio album together, and while the rhythm is easy and the riffing relatively straightforward, the substance of this track wasn’t tailored to simpleton tastes. Rockers young and old alike will find something sexy in this smooth tune, and after a summer like last year’s, it couldn’t sound much more desirable this July.
WEBSITE: https://slammingladys.com/
These melodies are fantastic and well-coordinated between the players, and I like that the vocal’s soft qualities are breaking up the grit of the guitar rather than just straight-up contrasting with the backing band. Despite the layers of tonal expression in this mix, there isn’t a second of “Hold Up My Blue Sky” where the band sounds fractured or unfocused; on the contrary, theirs is one of the more fluid deliveries I’ve heard from an indie outfit this season. The competition among rock groups is heating up right now, but these guys don’t sound intimidated by their rivals at all (nor should they).
The lyrical sentiments of “Hold Up My Blue Sky” are made all the stronger by the delicate approach my man is taking to the chorus, and while he’s still able to belt out a verse like nobody’s business, the self-control he flexes in this single is enough to bring me back to Slammin’ Gladys time and time again. Every great band needs a good face to lead the way, and the poetic sensibilities of the lyrics in this piece are made wholly tangible by the man holding the mic.
Though the guitar parts are searing in this track, they’re hardly volatile, and this is largely because of the integrity-preserving production style utilized by producers here. We don’t have to wonder what kind of blows this band could hurl in our direction if presenting their sound on stage, because the potency of their natural sound is completely tangible to us in “Hold Up My Blue Sky.” Transparency is what millennials crave out of everything from politics to percussion in 2021, and this is a group that knows how — and where — to provide it.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hold-up-my-blue-sky/1543959898?i=1543960494
“Hold Up My Blue Sky” is made from a strain of rock n’ roll that lives and dies by the bright summer sun, and I think it’s the perfect track to take any heavy music fan from July into August this year. Slammin’ Gladys have a lot in common with their forerunners and likely won’t be shy with their use of indulgence in future outings together, but one thing setting them apart from the hedonistic rockers of yesteryear is their ability to stay disciplined in their attack. This is one heck of a tight performance and one I can’t wait to see in person for myself sometime.
Colin Jordan
