“U, de stad” is the latest release by Mantrix Storm, an outstanding Dutch singer-songwriter based in Utrecht. It’s his second piece of work in 2025, arriving as an adequate continuation of “Terug van weggeweest,” an exceptional full-length album released earlier this year that you should also check out as soon as possible. Lyrically, “U, de stad” is an ode to Utrecht, describing the charm of the city while simultaneously evoking nostalgia. From love, relationships, friendships, different sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, Mantrix Storm has created a highly relatable composition that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, the artist combines a singer-songwriter approach with a couple of complementary music styles. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind, but don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from indie rock, soft rock, pop rock, and alternative pop. He uses all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate his latest composition to new heights while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with different approaches and complementary styles resulted in a catchy, memorable, engaging piece of sonic artistry that will resonate not only with alternative and indie rock fans but with anyone who appreciates tastefully assembled and expertly performed music.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how Mantrix Storm poured heart and soul into this composition. The entire composition resonates with such beautiful vocal harmonies, guitar works, and beats, capable of convincing those picky music enthusiasts to spin this alternative rock gem over and over again. “U, de stad” arrives with a perfect structure, adorned with many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and outstanding orchestrations. Mantrix Storm’s passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, and powerful vocal performance is the first detail you’ll notice on this epic sonic journey. His vocal performance commands attention, elevates everything to new heights, and guides the listening apparatus from scratch to finish with such precision and finesse. His vocals seamlessly balance over high, mid, and low notes, emphasizing everything he intended to achieve with this song. Besides conveying a message about his hometown, his voice decorates all segments and instrumentations while contributing an emotional depth. In the meantime, the guitars shine in the limelight, shaping a perfect backdrop for all the vocal arrangements. You’ll stumble upon excellent guitar interplays, offering a multilayered experience that will immediately wrap around your listening apparatus and refuse to let go long after this song ends. The jangly, angular, semi-distorted chord progressions continuously levitate in the mix while the delicate accentuations uplift particular moments. Mantrix Storm also included keys and synths, very important instrumentations that go hand in hand with these guitar works. Their presence adds more complexity to an already intricate composition. It’s nearly mindblowing how all these guitars and synth works match vocals harmoniously, making “U, de stad” worth repeating over and over again.
You’ll also notice how all those detailed, warm-sounding, audible basslines roar beneath the guitars and synths, contributing heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding the mentioned orchestrations with rhythmic patterns. These low ends are deep, dense, luxuriant, and heavy, providing more power to this number. Of course, this composition wouldn’t sound this good without exceptional drumming performance. The perfectly arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, energetic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keep the remainder of instrumentation in line while dictating groove and tempo. You’ll notice how each hit of the snare and kick of the bass drum offers more groove and punch to this song, making it even more dynamic. Mantrix Storm thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing his latest single, so if the guitars and synths act as a perfect backdrop for all those vocal harmonies to shine upon, then the bass and drums serve as a backbone, holding everything together.
“U, de stad” is a beautiful ode to Utrecht, written and performed by the tremendous singer-songwriter such as Mantrix Storm. He sings about his hometown from the bottom of his heart, and you’ll notice all the love he poured into this composition. It’s a magnificent display of his songwriting abilities as well, as he inserted all the skills, talent, and experience into it. It’s surely a song you don’t want to miss, so place it on your music radar as soon as possible. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
Thoughts Words Action 