The new single “Super Galactic” from FiveDFit has all the basic instrumental components of a typical rock track – guitar, bass, drums, vocals – but when incorporated with a kind of vigor we haven’t seen much of in pop for the better part of the last ten years, they sound anything but conventional.
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FiveDFit is intent on bringing old-school alternative rock back into the forefront of culture, and with the arrival of this new release, they establish themselves as blue-collar players who aren’t interested in recycling the same frills a lot of their contemporaries are. Instead of just trying to play out a style that has long fallen out of favor with the mainstream, this is a band looking to adapt alternative rock for a modern age, and given the recent uptick in interest that indie rock has been getting in general, “Super Galactic” couldn’t be arriving at a better moment. Scenes and regional politics have changed dramatically since the time of Pearl Jam and Harvey Danger, but one thing that has remained the same is the sizzle of the guitars and the effect it can have on anyone within earshot.
This track is admittedly structured in a retro fashion, but the delivery that these players are putting up is exceptionally fresh. There’s no pressurized groove to contend with, but instead, a fluid rhythm that allows for the guitar parts to really flex when and where it matters. I don’t feel like FiveDFit are particularly concerned with creating a clandestine hook here, but there is a subtlety to the climax that reminds me a bit of the minimalist rock movement starting to take form in the American underground right now. These harmonies are textured rather than synthetically tethered to the beat, and the mix doesn’t sacrifice detail in the name of making a streamlined, radio-ready release. “Super Galactic” lacks the plasticity that a lot of the major label rock you’re going to hear this year is built atop, and this fact alone is bound to win it plenty of favor from discriminating critics and fans like myself.
I didn’t know about FiveDFit before checking out this single just recently, but there’s enough to “Super Galactic” that I think they’re going to build a lot of momentum off of this initial offering. There’s definitely more room for experimentation within their artistry, but for what they’re trying to start with this campaign, I don’t know that anything other than a simple, straightforward piece like this one would have the kind of impact on their future they’re trying to cultivate.
Virtuosity and sophistication have their place in the big picture of rock n’ roll, but this is a track where the cut and dry aesthetics of traditional rock really are the centerpiece of the music. FiveDFit have a long way to go before they’re going to break through to the mainstream, but if there was a smart way to start their odyssey, this was it. “Super Galactic,” as its name suggests, is an out-of-this-world thrill ride rockers won’t soon forget.
Chadwick Easton