Uprise is a Drum and Bass/ Rock / Experimental outfit from Shropshire/West Midlands, and founding members Dan and James have recently put out the track “Strong” for our listening pleasure.
Produced by Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden Recording studio, Strong starts off with a few delicate notes on the keys before a rumbling bass takes on a repetitive riff over it and the vocals crash through with an opening line of “keep your distance”, a phrase we’ve all become far too familiar with in the last few months.
An almost spoken verse of determination, to hold your head up and walk with a story to tell. The mysterious and enchanting melodic music takes you stomping into a faster pace for the chorus, as the hauntingly delicate keys continue their musical dance in the background. The drum beat kicks in to bang out the message of being strong enough to go on.
The drum and bass element comes crashing in with a surprise, after the track takes a pause back to the slower beat immediately after the chorus, when an energetic breakbeat kicks even more life into this already uplifting track. The deep, rolling bass line purrs its way throughout the second half of the song, fusing together genres and sounds to create an innovative piece of music, a single that could sit in a multitude of playlists to suit a vast variety of music tastes.
A building, layered bridge offers a vocal call out and impressive instrumentals , before a final round of the awe inspiring chorus, the lyrical and emotional heart of the whole song.
It’s very easy to relate the lyrics of this track to current times, but going forward , it is definitively a tune for anyone getting through hard times, something to carry with them as a powerful motivator , a silver lining to their cloudiest situations.
Lyrically impressive and musically diverse, this track is an expression of feelings fighting their way through hard times, and succeeding. Powerful and anthemic.
By: Kate Ford