Rock, once thought to be dead and buried, is on a big comeback at the moment, you don’t have to look any further than the Canadian underground to appreciate what I’m talking about. SONIK, frontman of The Sonic Memes, is definitely embodying much of the old school rock n’ roll spirit in his new single “Back Home in Ontario,” and while this track has been gaining traction just about everywhere it’s been played, it’s been an especially intriguing release for Canadian audiences, who are perhaps seeing the biggest influx of raw rock talent coming up lately.
The first element that I notice about this song is its lack of frills; where some would be inclined to sample something from the outside or even incorporate a familiar tone as to align this sound with something we’ve all heard before, SONIK isn’t trying to do as much. He wants this single to be all about the big riffs and the rich vocals he can apply to them, and by leaving the excess on the outside looking in on “Back Home in Ontario,” he makes it known to his allies, critics, and fans where he stands when it comes to the ‘rock is dead’ argument.
SONIK is willingly putting his voice into the middle of the discordance in this mix rather than atop all of it, but his verses don’t sound like clutter as a result of this brazen move. Conversely, the bassline is toned down in the chorus, when his words really matter the most, thereby giving him enough space to say what he wants without losing the luster of the thick bottom-end we’re dealing with in “Back Home in Ontario.”
If the goal was to bring the energy of the garage into the recording studio, to say that SONIK hit his mark and then some might not be doing his effort justice. His guitar parts are gushing all over the place, but with the stoic drum pattern giving the groove some consistency, the melodic componentry doesn’t sound like it’s too much here at all. I wouldn’t get in the way of this percussion – or a moving train, for that matter – for anything, as it’s easily as monstrous a force as anything the vocal can muster for itself.
I just found out about SONIK and The Sonic Memes recently, but I think the attention he’s alluring is justifiable when listening to “Back Home in Ontario.” This isn’t kid rock n’ roll like some listeners have conditioned themselves towards in the past ten years or so – it’s the real deal, with a lot of muscle to be enjoyed, and it’s unquestionably worthy of even more buzz than it’s been getting so far. SONIK is entering the rock scene when it’s heating up again, of all times, but he presents himself with enough spirit in this single that I’m not feeling very worried about what the future holds in store for both him and his brand. This is a good introduction, which is half the battle in this business.
Chadwick Easton