Northern Trails – Feathers

For a very long time, Sweden has been a fertile ground for some of the finest works in contemporary music. If you paid attention, you probably already realized it has become so difficult to keep track of everything the country has produced over the years. Whether you like it or not, there’s no denying that artists and bands arriving from this Nordic country are some of the best you’ll listen to, whether live or in the studio. However, the overproduction might seem too much to many, with many music outlets delivering the same old, repetitive, predictable, bland music, explored by the renowned greats countless times over decades. Anyone even dabbling with the music industry for a while will notice that some tastemakers, social media, and streaming platforms favor particular styles over and over again, further pushing the listeners’ craving for a genuine musical experience further away. Thankfully, there are bands like Northern Trails whose music always offers more than just simplistic indie orchestrations. There’s something about this band that forces the listener to return again and take a deep dive into their discography, discovering even more gems and cool ideas stacked into their songs. That’s the case with “Feathers,” their latest standalone single released on May 20th via all streaming platforms. Serving as a first taster from the series of standalone singles planned for the spring and summer this year, it carries everything you dearly love about this band. This composition is literally packed with every single quality that characterizes their luxuriant sound, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon some other elements along the way. Perhaps indie shines the most, as the band fully stacked this composition with all the fundamental elements that define this genre, but as is usually the case, there is more than meets the eye. Beneath and above the rock-solid indie core, you’ll stumble upon some of the finest properties borrowed from many characteristics borrowed from alternative and pop rock, but everything is so carefully, thoughtfully, wisely, and tastefully implemented, making this indie song such a masterpiece worth revisiting over and over again.

As soon as you press play, you’ll realize that vocals dictate emotion throughout the entire composition. The soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, and powerful vocal performance acts as a centerpiece from start to finish, commanding attention, elevating everything to new heights, and guiding listeners on an epic journey through the expansive sonic universe. You will notice how every line seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything the band intended to achieve with this song. Besides decorating all the segments and orchestrations, you’ll hear how the vocal performance contributes more than necessary emotional depth and complexity over an already intricate song structure. And the guitar work on this song is absolutely spectacular. By incorporating multiple layers, the band crafted a captivating listening experience that alone deserves your utmost attention. It’s one of those guitar performances that reward repeated listens, revealing interplays between catchy, memorable, engaging, fascinating chord progressions and luxuriant themes, melodies, and harmonies. Paired with equally impressive keyboard chord progressions, harmonies, melodies, and themes, it represents a foundation for all the vocals to shine upon. It’s nearly mindblowing how all those layers articulate together without overwhelming each other. And the way all those intricate, warm, deep basslines rumble beneath lush guitars and keys is worth praise. These deep, dense, heavy low ends articulate around, offering more than necessary heaviness, clarity, warmth, groove, and detail without overwhelming anything. They also act as a binding element between all those orchestrations and rhyhtmic patterns. In the meantime, the exceptional drumming performance, based upon moderate, steady, well-accentuated, cleverly assembled, and flawlessly performed beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics shape the perfect rhyhtmic support for the remainder of the orchestrations, keep everything in line, and all of that while dictating groove and pace. Everything sounds so beautiful and well-organized, to the point you’ll gladly spin this marvelous song all over again.

“Feathers” is one of those beautiful songs that immediately wraps around your listening apparatus and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats fade away. What’s even better is how this composition becomes even more hypnotizing, addictive, and memorable with each new listen. It is certainly a contemporary indie rock masterpiece you certainly do not want to miss, so head to your favorite streaming platform and listen to it loud.